Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed,

Parrots have crackers to crunch:

and, as for the poodles, they tell me the noodles

have chickens and cream for their lunch.

But there's never a question

about MY digestion--

Anything does for me!

'Cats, you're aware, can repose in a chair,

chickens can roost upon rails;

puppies are able to sleep in a stable,

and oysters can slumber in pails.

But no one supposes

a poor Camel dozes--

Any place does for me!

'Lambs are enclosed where never exposed,

coops are constructed for hens:

kittens are treated to houses well heated,

and pigs are protected by pens.

But a Camel comes handy

wherever it's sandy--

Anywhere does for me!

'People would laugh if you rode a giraffe,

or mounted the back of an ox

it's nobody's habit to ride on a rabbit,

or try to bestraddle a fox.

But as for a Camel, he'

ridden by families--

Any load does for me!

'A snake is as round as a hole in the ground,

and weasels are wavy and sleek;

and no alligator could ever be straighter

than lizards that live in a creek,

but a Camel's all lumpy

and bumpy and humpy--

Any shape does for me!'

Charles Edward Carryl (1841-1920) was a second generation businessman and stockbroker. He wrote with the influence of his imaginative children. He is remembered for his contribution to American children's literature, Davy and the Goblin and The Walloping Window.

1. repose: can rest, sleep
2. enclosed: surrounded or closed on all sides
3. bestraddle: sit with one's leg on either side
4. weasel: a small, slender carnivorous mammal