Are Elephants Real?

"Are elephants real?" I asked my dad.
He looked quite stunned and shocked.
"'Cause if they are well don't you think,
You'd see them in the shops?"

"It's not like that," dad said to me.
"They're just not put on sale."
"But why?" I said, "They should, you know,
And maybe also Whales!"

"I don't understand," my dad confessed,
"Why you think this should be so."
He scratched his head and then his chin,
"I don't get it. No...no...no!"

"Just think of it," I said to dad,
"They'd be fun to have around!"
"I could use one just to help me,
See the world from off the ground."

"That's true," dad said, "But you should know,
That elephants don't like cities."
"Oh," I said, "Well that's a shame,
That really is a pity."

"So that's why we can't buy them!", I said,
"In the shops around the town."
"But if we lived in the countryside,"
"We'd see them all around!"

"Are elephants real?" I asked my dad.
He looked quite stunned and shocked.
"'Cause if they are well don't you think,
You'd see them in the shops?"

"It's not like that," dad said to me.
"They're just not put on sale."
"But why?" I said, "They should, you know,
And maybe also Whales!"

"I don't understand," my dad confessed,
"Why you think this should be so."
He scratched his head and then his chin,
"I don't get it. No...no...no!"

"Just think of it," I said to dad,
"They'd be fun to have around!"
"I could use one just to help me,
See the world from off the ground."

"That's true," dad said, "But you should know,
That elephants don't like cities."
"Oh," I said, "Well that's a shame,
That really is a pity."

"So that's why we can't buy them!", I said,
"In the shops around the town."
"But if we lived in the countryside,"
"We'd see them all around!"

©2002 Gareth Lancaster