The Perfect Pet

He didn’t want a common pet,
not just a dog or cat.
He wouldn’t have just anything.
He wasn’t built like that.

He thought about it long and hard.
If he could have his wish,
you know it shouldn’t be tame like
a tank with pretty fish.

He wasn’t into snakes at all;
they weren’t on his list.
And rats and bugs of any kind
were pets he could resist.

No, no, he wanted something odd,
something that folks would say,
“Hey, there’s the kind of animal
you don’t see every day.”

There was a store not far away
with pets of every kind.
He stopped in there to take a look
and see what he could find.

But nothing there jumped out at him.
No, nothing caught his eye.
He left the store dejectedly
and let out a big sigh.

He’d have to go on with his search.
He wouldn’t give up now.
Even if it took all year
he’d find his pet somehow.

He checked the classifieds each day,
perused them with a glance.
He wasn’t really looking hard.
He spotted it by chance.

It seems there was a zoo nearby
that thought that it might fail.
To raise some cash to stay afloat
there was a big tent sale.

Some animals were offered up.
Yeah, you could bring them home.
You could have a little zoo
all for your very own.

Imagine walking down the street
with a rhinoceros.
Or maybe you could saddle up
a hippopotamus.

While those big beasts could be a blast
they might just cause a fuss.
So he thought he would settle for
a duck-billed platypus.

So now he strolls about the town.
He walks his new pet Bill.
You’ve never seen a sight like that.
I doubt you ever will.