Zoe’s Zoo
By Pat Simmons
Small jars, tall jars, boxes too,
Zoe needs them for her zoo.
In the garden, in the sun
is where she finds Exhibit One.
A caterpillar munching leaves,
Zoe stoops, rolls up her sleeves
and carefully with finger tips
(just in case this critter nips)
places it inside a jar.
Pops on the lid.
He won’t get far.
Crouching in a damp dark spot,
armed with just a yogurt pot
she spots a tell-tale silver trail.
Exhibit Two, a friendly snail.
With trusty trowel she fills a jar
then doesn’t have to dig too far
before she spots a sudden squirm.
Exhibit Three, a wriggling worm.
Exhibit Four sits in a box,
wearing gloves and scarf and socks.
His cage says, ‘Dangerous Beware.
Please Don’t Feed This Teddy Bear.’
A tiny cubby made from sticks
houses numbers Five and Six.
A beetle and a millipede
curled up like a shiny bead.
Exhibit Seven’s tied to a tree.
He’s rather dangerous you see.
A dinosaur might stomp around
and squish those caged upon the ground.
She needs to find Exhibit Eight
who’s sitting calmly on the gate.
Zoe has to pull and tug
to capture this majestic slug.
Now who will be the final two
to join the gang at Zoe’s Zoo?
She has to build a great big pen
to house Exhibits Nine and Ten.
Her work is done.
She gives a shout.
‘Mum and Daddy, please come out.’
‘Gotcha!’
Australian Children’s Poetry 