Charles M. Moore - Jungle Jim

Jungle JIm was in the shallows
washing out some dirty plates
he came down from his jungle palace
in a tree hut by the lake

He had a parrot for a clock
that never squawked and never talked
it didn't really bother him
for he was mighty Jungle Jim

His memory was not as good though
as he thought it used to be
for where he washed his dirty plates
close by he had his lavatory

And just as he had scrubbed and rinsed
his plates as clean as a new pin
he turned around to go back home
and sure enough he fell straight in

A swim he thought would clean him up
and take away the awful smell
he ran and jumped into the lake
the water was as cold as hell

He shot out like a damned torpedo
the crocodiles laughed at him
he hit them with his dirty plates
well he was mighty Jungle Jim

He went up to his little palace
changed his clothes and had a drink
the parrot for the first time talked
it said 'Hey Jim you really stink'

Jim he gave the parrot water
well in fact he gave it gin
he laughed aloud just as he left
the parrot fell into the bin

Jim went back to jungle land
the day it wasn't going well
I'll have a shower by the falls
to take away this awful smell

He got washed and he got dried
the smell by now had disappeared
then a native girl came by
she said, 'Hey Jim come over here'

Jim went over and she hugged him
such a hug he near caved in
she asked if all was going well
he squawked 'Of course
I'm Jungle JIm'.

Charles M. Moore

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/jungle-jim/