PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE FOR RAIN


God told Noah to build an Ark
And when completion was drawing nigh
He invited the honorable Patriarchs,
Enoch and Methuselah to come by.

Before the Patriarchs came through
To inspect what Noah’s family had done,
Noah told all of the animals to
Behave and not scare anyone.

So the animals did as they were asked
And retired to a small, nearby pond
Where they planned to wait until the task
Of entertaining guests was all done

Ham, Shem, and Japheth were keeping guard
While the creatures gathered round the lagoon.
See what you discover; though it may be hard,
Of how the animals played all afternoon.

Removing their shoes, the horses gave them a toss
And ‘ringered’ a Rhinoceros’ horn.
The other Rhino felt lonely and at a loss
Having had rhinoplasty on her own.

“Reach for the sky,” said the bandit Raccoon.
Orangutan played along with the bluff.
Boxers in hand, the bare Bears were lampooned
For having arrived in the buff.

The other Orangutan started to laugh
And the Koalas just stopped to watch,
As a Spider Monkey fed Mrs. Giraffe
From an animal cracker box.

The Camels vowed to kick ‘the habit’
Before they entered the ship
Meanwhile the bunny hopping Rabbits
Sang “…forward, backwards, skip, skip skip…”

Queen Bee, with crown, hovered around the hive
Whilst Owls supposed when the rains would fall,
The Parrots chatted, the Monkey’s jibed.
And the Cardinal said, “70 over the wall.”

Mrs. Monkey used Cow to illustrate
Where the Prairie Dog’s houses would be.
The Turtles, in tennis shoes, came too late
To learn the geography.
And all was going well until the time
For hors d’oeuvres and cantaloupe.
To find who had perpetrated the crime
Find the Porcupines and Antelope.

Noah came looking for who’d done the deed
The King of the Beasts roared, “Not me.”
Some chided, “Noah’s gone blind as a bat.”
Waking, Bat asked, “Someone need me?”

While the Lemurs pinned on the Donkey tails
Poor Noah was even more chagrinned
“Who left the salt shaker down with the snails?”
“Who gave the Panda my mandolin?”

Mrs. Croc, in her pearls, knew this wasn’t her bag
Mr. Chimp was choked up by the skunks.
Noah noticed a chicken was missing her leg.
While Monkey tossed rings at a trunk.

One Polar Bear fished. His companion sipped tea.
The Hippo’s teeth were getting a brush.
Their alibis seemed water tight as could be
Even the Ostriches plucked their tails to dust.

The Penguins, waiting table, were quite debonair
And the beaver’s braces showed no debris,
So Noah just threw his hand up in the air
While two hands hugged the smiley face tree.

The Dinosaurs came but they came much too late
Even though every creatures was warned.
They were turned away for not bringing a date;
And you can’t force a Unicorn.

When the thunder roared the crowd fell quiet.
The Patriarchs said Noah had done well.
And he sighed for he realized soon that this riot
Would be confined with him atop ocean swells.

But he knew that the Lord would strengthen his will
Even when the Kangaroos start to fight.
God would his cup with blessings fill
If he persevered and did what was right.

There is more to the story and more to the scene
I am sure there is much you have missed
But I’m all out of time and can’t tell all I’ve seen
So please give the Frog Prince a kiss.

poem by David Halling

1000 pieces

Puzzle Legend