All Through the Zoo

Welcome to Poetry Friday!  It's hosted today by Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference.  Go over for a visit and read some great poetry today!
Here is my offering today.  I am not much for Santa stories anymore, but this one seemed to just come out when I wrote the first two verses (lines).

All Through the Zoo

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the zoo,
Not a creature was sleeping;
They all were too blue.

They’d heard of a Santa;
A real old Saint Nick.
They’d learned he brought presents,
And that made them sick.

They never got gifts!
They didn’t have socks!
They couldn’t use them
In pools or on rocks!

They didn’t have trees
With bright lights and stars;
There were no presents
Behind the zoo bars.

The penguins were sad.
They had just one wish -
That Santa would come
And not bring them fish.

They wanted new scarves
To wrap ‘round their necks.
The bears wanted shoes -
No more "bear" foot treks!

But how to make Santa
Come over this way?
How to steer reindeer
With presents in sleigh?

The giraffes had a plan
With their heads in the sky
They’d stand on each back
Until they were high.

They’d stand up so tall
Above every roof;
They’d be high enough
To tickle a hoof!

And so they piled up
As high as they could.
And waited for Santa -
He’d fly by, he would!

They stretched up so high
And held out great hopes
That they would hail Santa,
Or lasso with ropes!

Their timing was good;
They were pretty quick.
But no one can be
As quick as St. Nick!

The passing of reindeer
And whooshing of sleigh
Made them all wobble,
Beginning to sway!

They all toppled down
In one great big heap,
And woke up old Santa
Who’d fallen asleep -

Asleep at the reins
Of his sleigh and reindeer!
“What was that?” he cried out,
As he looked back in fear.

“Why it looks like a pile -
A great pile of giraffes!”
He smiled and then chuckled
His big belly laughs!

Amid all the fuss,
He landed the sleigh;
He gave them all gifts
And candy caned hay.

The penguins got scarves,
The bald eagles got hats,
The bears got their shoes -
Flashlights for the bats.

The giraffes had brought Christmas;
They’d stopped Santa’s flight.
A merry crashed mass
Brought to all a good night!

© Donna JT Smith