In the Land of Nod, where the zebras are shod

And the kangaroos swing through the trees,

The birds walk around with their wings on the ground,

Searching for pieces of cheese.

The slip tree stands with its branches like hands

And its roots poking up in the air,

All the birds fly slow and they bow down low

For the tree is the Gim bird’s lair.

Now the Gim Gim bird, just in case you haven’t heard,

Has a head like an elephant’s tail,

Its huge appetite comes awake every night

And it feasts upon sparrows and quail.

The Pyroo cat, which is very, very fat

Has a tail which is six feet long,

And it swims in the river eating pickled pigs liver

Whilst singing a sea-shanty song.

As the sun goes down all the apes rush around

And they look very strange on their knees,

And they jump with fright – same time each night

At the sound of the Gim Bird’s sneeze.

When the Gim bird sneezes (which he does when he pleases)

You know that he’s searching for mice,

He creeps to the place where they all wash their face,

And gobbles them up in a trice.

The Gabbling Gnu (which is amber and blue)

Eats only fishes and frogs,

But because he can’t swim they all elude him

And he lives upon three-legged dogs.

Old Kabby the Croc keeps his cash in a sock,

He is known as a stingy old miser,

He reads picture books about weaving and looks

As if he thinks that he’s actually wiser.

The snake known as Gort is a cowardly sort,

From predators he quickly scoots,

But if ever you meet keep a watch on your feet

For he loves the odd taste of old boots.

If you happen to hear (whilst you’re visiting here,)

The sound of a drum and a lute,

And a horn and a gong and a fife and a song

Dominated by trombone and flute

Don’t worry or shout, or go running about,

You really are hearing a scoop,

In the jungle it’s known as “Terry Trombone

And His All Girl Green Gay Gorilla Group.”

They practice at night, when there isn’t much light,

(They say it’s for Beethoven’s sake)

And up in a tree dances Terry, with glee,

Conducting the band with a snake.

Poor Bingo the Bear who is sleeping near there

Hears the sound of the music intoning,

And he wakes with a scare from a ghastly nightmare,

Shaking and sweating and groaning.

At the first light of day, the blue-breasted jay

Flies up in the air with a shriek,

He’s so happy, they say, at the start of the day,

That he doesn’t come back for a week.

So if you spot an elk dusting off with pink talc,

Or red elephants looking quite odd,

You’re not feeling sick, but you’d better leave quick,

Cause you’ve come to the strange land of Nod.    

more of my CHILDREN"S POEMS