What an Elephant is… (and some other short Elephant poems)

What an Elephant is.. 

An elephant is not its trunk,

though its trunk is very long

and can pick up lots of heavy things

‘cause an elephants so strong.

 

An elephant is not its tusks

though its tusks are very large

and, blowing on its bugle like trunk,

it can use them to charge.

 

An elephant is not its ears

though its ears are great in size

and, like chinese fans, can keep it cool

or swat bothersome flies

 

An elephant is not its feet

though its feet are big and round

and when it runs or skips or hops

they make a thunderous sound

 

An elephant’s a living thing

with a beating heart and soul

and a brain that’s smart; not just one part

but a big beautiful whole.

 

 

Why Elephants Can’t Jump

It is a good thing Elephants can’t jump

‘cause if they did they’d land with such a thump

that everything in the jungle would shake

and other beasts think it was an earthquake

and run about and shout and scream and panic.

No, Elephants shouldn’t jump;

they’re titanic.

 

 

Jazzaphant

 

Jazzaphant jamming on saxophone trunk;

entangled in jungle of wild jazz and funk;

as blue as the blues into which you have sunk;

an elephant kind of Thelonious Monk.

 

An Elephant’s Nose

 

An elephant’s nose;

it grows and it grows

till it reaches right down

to an elephants toes

and it looks quite a lot

like a fireman’s hose

but it’s awfully useful

for smelling a rose.

 

Elephants Like Drinking Tea

 

Elephants like drinking tea;

they drink it through their trunks

and chocolate biscuits, two or three,

that, with their trunks, they dunk

they like it with six sugar lumps

and, sometimes, piping hot

and they pour it out

of the trunk like spout

of elephant shaped tea pot.