Very Domestic

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="11f285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Berton Braley Cyber Museum</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Berton Braley Cyber Museum"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>     </B></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="11ed2c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <A HREF="news_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News"><U>News</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="biography.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biography"><U>Biography</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="works.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Works"><U>Works</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="bibliography.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bibliography"><U>Bibliography</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="correspondence.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Correspondence"><U>Correspondence</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="library.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Library"><U>Library</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="meeting_place.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meeting place"><U>Meeting place</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="guestbook.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guestbook"><U>Guestbook</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="market.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Market"><U>Market</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links "><U>Links </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Search"><U>Search</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id400.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Foundation"><U>About Foundation</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="about_museum.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Museum"><U>About Museum</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Very Domestic</I><I>                                                                                                   </I></div> <div> <I><B>I am fond, I must confess,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Of the pets that I possess,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Of my hippos, both the female and the male,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Of my kangaroos and tapirs</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And my camel, full of capers,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>But the nicest is my Sulphur-Bottom Whale.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I have raised him from a baby</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When he weighed ten tons, or maybe</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Something more or less, I cannot quite recall.</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And though now a husky brute,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>He was wonderfully cute</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When his stature was comparatively small.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I have nursed him through the colic,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>I have watched him leap and frolic</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>In his special tank--a half a mile across--</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And he learned to greet me gaily</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>For I always fed him daily</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>With a ton or so of fish I used to toss.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Now, although his daily dish is</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Seven tons of little fishes,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>He won't touch them till I throw him three or four,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Ad he wags his tail with vim</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When I come and speak him,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And he often tries to follow me ashore.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>He's some ninety-five feet long,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And inordinately strong,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>But as gentle and domestic as can be;</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And it fills him full of pride</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>When upon his back I ride--</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Though he never carries any one but me.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>He's affectionate and kind,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>With a very active mind,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And he knows a lot of tricks that he can do;</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And his quick intelligence is</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Worth the cost of his expenses</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Which are numerous, of course, and heavy too.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Still, if you should seek a pet</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Of a kind you won't regret</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>(If you do things on a rather ample scale),</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>For a nature mild and meek</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>And a charm that is unique,</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>There is nothing like a Sulphur-Bottom Whale.</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>Published in: </I><A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Nicholas"><U><I>St. NIcholas</I></U></A><I> - </I><I>May 1929</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="copyright.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Copyright"><U><I>© 2000-2006, Berton Braley Cyber Museum. </I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="copyright.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Copyright"><U><I>All rights reserved.</I></U></A></div> <div> <I>---</I></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com"><U><I>Contact Webmaster Peter Leeflang</I></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@bertonbraley.com"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>