THE KOALA AND THE CROCODILE
Ko-Ko Koala was a spoilt little brat.
He wouldn’t eat vegies in case he got fat.
‘Brussel sprouts and cabbage belong in the bin,
Lemonade and fudge keeps me nice and thin.’
‘Chicken and chips and hamburgers fried,
And chocolate donuts with cream inside
Taste much better for a Koala about town
Bush food is stodgy,’ he said with a frown.
His friends all got very very cross,
Bush food is filling but isn’t very posh.
Until there visited a crocodile
Jaws wide open in a hungry smile.
The little Koala was suddenly left,
Nobody liked the company he kept.
Ko-Ko wished the crocodile very far away,
But the crocodile stayed to talk of takeaway.
‘Bags of chips and popcorn for tea,
Plenty to eat if you dine with me.
If only you would come down nearer,
Our friendship could be so much dearer.’
The days went by, Ko-Ko got thin and wan,
Dreaming of takeaway meals long gone.
Getting very hungry so high off the ground,
He started eating gum leaves and grew very round
The crocodile still waited his eyes full of greed.
And kept renewing his invitation to feed.
‘There’s pineapple on pav with cream between,
And ice creams with flavours you’ve never seen.’
‘A diet of ice cream and potato chips fried,
Will give me tummy ache,’ scared Ko-Ko replied.
The crocodile sighed and at last lost his smile,
And decided to slink off home for a while.
And this is why the crocodile’s tears of grief
Are at the Koala’s love for the Eucalyptus leaf.
And for takeaway food Ko-Ko will never roam.
He finds plenty to eat in his tree top home.
Margaret Pearce