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A
leopard, sleeping on a rock,
Could,
one morning, have a shock
If
snow or frost come down at night
Because
his fur may go quite white.
This
change of color, rather slow,
Makes
him a leopard of the snow
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I
am a Snow Leopard |
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A
leopard, jumping in a lake,
Will
soon find this a big mistake
For,
when he shakes himself to dry,
His
spots will go. We don't know why.
But
if he dries off in the sun
His
spots soon come back, every one! |
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When
marking out his piece of ground
The
leopard's tail goes round and round
And,
in each corner of his patch,
He
does a tink then gives a scratch
To
show his rivals where he's at:
"This
is my ground. Be off big cat!" |
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You
may think I am very brave
But
I did foolishly behave.
I
got too close to take this snap;
The
leopard landed in my lap.
He
pushed me over on my back
And
took my camera for his snack. |
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A
leopard standing in a tree
Must
balance very carefully
Not
snatch at birds as they fly by
Or
he may fall perhaps, and die.
If
a friendly smile he gives
The
birds fly by. The leopard lives. |
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A
leopard cannot smile or laugh
When
plodding down the jungle path
For
he must always stay alert
To
make sure that he don't get hurt.
A
snake or croc might do him in
If
he indulges in a grin. |
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A
leopard running very fass
May
set fire to dried up grass
So
when he gallops in the chase
He
runs fast enough to win the race
But
does not use excessive speed
As
this could cause his paws to bleed. |
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A
leopard, if his legs are long,
May
sometimes get his pouncing wrong,
And
should his tail grow to one metre
He
might, perhaps, become a cheetah.
Nature
is so very clever
So
do not say: "He can't do. Never!"
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A
leopard, if he goes indoors,
Must
not get ink upon his paws
For
when the jungle calls him back
The
predators will see his track.
They'll
follow him the whole long day
Then
leap on him and steal his prey. |
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A
leopard, if he has the nerve,
May
run quite fast then make a swerve
To
catch his prey. He must take care
In
case he finds his tail not there.
Though
he may bend when moving fast
His
tail may not, and fly on past! |
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A
busy leopard, much admired,
May
work too hard and then get tired.
A
shady spot, he knows, is best
For
settling down to have a rest.
Then
he can sleep in comfort but,
If
danger lurks, with ONE eye shut! |
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If
he has too much food to eat
Then
he will settle on his seat.
He'll
think about his greedy ways
And
eat no more for fourteen days.
A
hungry leopard is the one
Who
gets the hunting business done.
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A
leopard, when he's on the prowl
Will
only make the quietest growl
And
take great care to make no noise
(He's
wiser than most little boys).
In
stalking, he may wait all day
Before
he pounces on his prey. |
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A
leopard, when the clock strike three,
Knows
it must be time for tea.
The
cuckoo in the cuckoo clock
May
think, perhaps, that it is not
But
argument is just no good.
A
hungry leopard must have food. |
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A
leopard, sitting on the fence,
Will
quickly learn it makes no sense
To
yowl and try to catch the moon.
He'll
learn his lesson all too soon.
Missiles
soon will start to fly
And
knock him off with bruise-ed eye |
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A
leopard, learning how to swim,
Must
alway keep his whiskers trim
And
keep them up above the wet
Taking
care not to forget
That
water entering the nose
Will
fill him up down to his toes. |
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A
leopard living in Australia
Will
sometimes think herself a failure,
Though
she surely is no slouch,
Because,
alas, she has no pouch
To
nurse her babies for a while.
So
she tucks them up inside her smile. |
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A
leopard, going on the stage,
Must
not get into a rage
But
smile and use his own good sense
To
entertain the audience.
Sing
and dance he may do well
But
NEVER naughty stories tell. |
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A
leopard worm, beneath the soil,
Spends
all the day engaged in toil
And,
though he is so long and narrow,
Loves
to move soil with his barrow.
He
can be prey to any mouse
So
never strays far from his house. |
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