Page 28 - Lavender-B-7

And I must illustrate these tales,

Must imitate the northern gales

That toss the native man’s canoe,

And show the way he paddles, too.

If in the story comes a bear,
I have to pause and sniff the air

And show the way he climbs the trees

To steal the honey from the bees.

And then I buzz like angry bees

And sting him on his nose and knees

And howl in pain, till mother cries:

‘That pair will never shut their eyes,

While all that noise up there you make;

You’re simply keeping them awake.’

And then they whisper: ‘Just one more,’

And once again I’m forced to roar.

New stories every night they ask.

And that is not an easy task;

I have to be so many things,

The frog that croaks, the lark that sings,

The cunning fox, the frightened hen;

But just last night they stumped me, when

They wanted me to twist and squirm imitate: to copy (a person’s speech or mannerisms),

And imitate an angle worm. especially for comic effect
gale: a strong, high speed wind
lark: a songbird usually brown in colour
stumped: (here) confused
angle worm: an earthworm that is used as a bait to
28 catch fish