ey curl up into balls.
If they don't go outside, they start bouncing off walls.

And will you walk my Wikosh (it won't be very tough).
If you don't, he'll get bored and might hide all my stuff.

His favorite is watching me search all around,
And when I find things, he lets out a "Wik-Woshing" sound.

Would you do one more thing, as a favor to me?
My Dugalug gets a bit lonely, you see.

He's a great checkers player, but he doesn't like losing.
He's also a cheater, so don't get caught snoozing.

And would you please fill the tub for my green sprinter fish?
But watch out for the splash of his flipping tail swish.

I know I can trust you. You won't let me down.
Would you watch them again, next time I leave town?

XXXVI

WOOLLY NOT SO MAMMOTH

By the Arctic Ocean, atop a frozen lake,
Above the icy water and the sheets of snowy flake,

A Woolly Mammoth mother walked her son, Elan, to school.
She combed his hair, said goodbye, and wiped a little drool.

Elan was not so large, as far as woolly mammoths go.
His friends thought he was puny, and they always told him so.

And although he tried his hardest, he never really grew.
Perhaps there was a special trick that bigger mammoths knew.

His biggest friend would tell him, so he tapped him during class.
Their teacher wasn't watching, so he tried to talk real fast.

"How'd you get so big," he asked, "I'd really like to know.
Tell me what the secret is, tell me how to grow."

"Well, my father is a mammoth, and my mother is one, too.
It's all about your family--if they're big, so are you."

When Elan went home he asked his dad, "Why am I so small?
You're enormous, so is mom. Shouldn't I be tall?"

"It's simple," said his father, "like I've told you all along,
Eat your veggies, drink your milk, and you'll be big and strong.

"No way!" he thought, "Not a chance! Veggies are the worst.
And my brother, Eli, never eats them. I should've asked him first"

"I know you're really busy, Eli, but I need some advice.
How can I get bigger (and quickly would be nice)?"

"Take naps," his brother said, "Sleeping is the key.
Sleeping lets your body grow. Just take a look at me!"

But napping like his brother meant he'd never be awake.
Asking other mammoths was a terrible mistake.

So Elan gave up on growing, it was such a waste of time.
Size was overrated; being short would do just fine.

And every night he laid in bed, happy with his fate.
Until one day the bed