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Title: The Flea
Author: Laura E. Richards [
More Titles by Richards]
Once upon a time there was a flea.
Wee wee.
And he hopped,
And he hopped,
And he hopped.
And as the flea was hopping one day,
He met a mouse,
Round the house,
And he squeaked,
And he squeaked,
And he squeaked.
And when the mouse saw the flea, he said to him, "what do you do for a living?" and the flea said "I bite people." Then the mouse said, "as you have lived upon others, others shall live upon you!" So he caught up the flea, and he ate him up. And there was an end of the flea.
But as the mouse was squeaking one day,
He met a cat,
Very fat,
And she mewed,
And she mewed,
And she mewed.
And when the cat saw the mouse, she said to him, "what do you do for a living?" And the mouse said,
"I nibble cheese,
And eat fleas."
Then the cat said, "As you have lived upon others, others shall live upon you!" So she caught the mouse, and she ate him up. And there was an end of the mouse.
But as the cat was mewing one day,
She met a dog,
Named Gog,
And he barked,
And he barked,
And he barked.
And when the dog saw the cat, he said to her, "what do you do for a living?" And the cat said,
"I eat mice,
Because they are nice."
Then the dog said, "As you have lived upon others, others shall live upon you!" So he caught the cat, and he ate her up. And there was an end of the cat.
But as the dog was barking one day,
He met a Chinaman,
Ting-Pan.
And he talked,
And he talked,
And he talked.
And when the Chinaman saw the dog, he said to him, "what do you do for a living?" And the dog said, "I slay the cat, and likewise the rat." Then the Chinaman said, "as you have lived upon others, others shall live upon you!" So he caught the dog, and he cooked him with rice, and ate him up. And there was an end of the dog.
But now, you see, the Chinaman had eaten
The dog,
Named Gog,
And the cat,
Very fat,
And the mouse,
Round the house,
And the flea,
Wee wee.
So when he had eaten them all, they all disagreed with him, and he died. And there was an end of the Chinaman, Ting-Pan.
[The end]
Laura E. Richards's poem: Flea
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