My favourite plate when I was a child had a picture of a rabbit wearing a red jacket at the front of a group of little rabbits, with the last line of this poemprinted on it.           Jan Darling

 

‘Mummy Rabbit, Mummy Rabbit

Where did you put my Easter habit?’

‘Which one?’ she said (she was making his bed)

‘I have to wear the one that is red!’

 

‘Why red, my kitten, you’ve a yellow one, too;

And last year you wore the one that is blue.’

‘I promised the others back there in the shed

That I would be wearing the one that is red.’

 

‘Bunny, my kitten, where is it written

That you must wear a coat that matches your mitten?’

Bunny tried to explain that the man from the train

Had said that red jackets were the best in the rain.

 

‘I can’t wear the yellow, my eggs aren’t marshmallow

And I don’t like the eggs that are filled up with jello.

It says on the packet I must wear a jacket

That matches my mittens – or there’ll be a racket!’

 

‘Please, Mummy Rabbit, could you find my habit

We have to rehearse with the new Jackrabbit.

I have the crème eggs, the ones that you like

I’ll bring you one home when I find my bike.’

 

‘Oh dear little Bunny I’d love a crème egg –

I’ll look for your jacket, you don’t have to beg.’

So Bunny hopped off to the hall at the church

Happy not to be leaving his friends in the lurch.

 

‘Bunny’ they cried as our hero was spied

‘If you don’t wear the red, it will damage our pride.’

‘Mummy Rabbit is searching from the roof to the ground

She won’t stop her looking until it is found.’

 

‘Thank goodness’ they sighed, ‘cos we can’t change the verse

Now Bunny is here, let’s start to rehearse.

Easter eggs will be shared and happiness spread

And it’s Bunny who led in his coat of bright red.’