I hope you enjoy this story. This file is provided for your
convenience to be used only in your home or in your individual 
classroom.  This story, all or in part, may not be published, 
printed, or distributed in any form or on any web site without 
written permission.  Please keep this notice with this file.
Thanks and keep smiling!

Bob Tucker (oldcoach77@aol.com)
Grandpa Tucker's Rhymes and Tales (http://www.grandpatucker.com)

SAMMY AND SNAKEY

Sam Snake was smiling as he went
Inside the great big circus tent.
He'd saved his money so he could go
To see this very special show.

And he just couldn't get enough
Of cotton candy, that sweet pink stuff.
He bought popcorn, a salty treat,
And took it with him to his seat.

He cracked some peanuts with his fang,
As folks around him rose and sang.
The Star Spangled Banner filled the air
And Sammy was proud that he was there.

He heard an announcement, sharp and loud,
"The mongoose escaped into the crowd!"
"The mongoose is loose!" poor Sammy cried
Like his mother taught him, he tried to hide.

He climbed a post, slid down a rope,
To flee from the tent--that was his hope.
But that is not what happened, of course,
He slipped from the rope right onto a horse.

The horse yelled, "Snake!" and began to run.
A snake on a horse "Oh, boy, what fun!!"
The horse reared up, and Sam fell down
And landed draped across a clown.

The clown would shake, Sam would wiggle,
Each time the crowd would clap and giggle.
The silly clown ran for the door
As Sammy slid onto the floor.

He saw something hanging from a head.
It looked a lot like his Uncle Fred.
So he crawled closer than he ought ter
The elephant sprayed him with some water.

Sam heard the band, began to hum,
Caught the beat of the big bass drum.
He did the dance called "Silly Child."
It was a hit and the crowd went wild.

He saw some keepers head for him
There in that corner things looked grim,
He slipped into a great big cage
And heard the lions roar with rage.

Right beside him was a sweating man.
The lion tamer with a chair in his hand.
When he saw Sammy he threw a fit.
Yelled,  "I can't train a snake, I quit!"

Sammy slid back, then raised and hissed, 
As a lion's paw just barely missed.
He found a post and away he went,
Right straight up to the top of the tent.

A little pole was hanging there
And he crawled onto it with care.
Then it swung through the air with ease,
This little pole was a trapeze.

There Sammy was, swinging in space.
Crawling and wiggling all over the place.
The announcer shouted and tipped his hat,
"Look folks, our new snake acrobat."

As the little snake went flying by
A clown looked up and caught his eye.
His face was painted in a frown
And he motioned Sammy to come down.

Sam knew the swinging would not stop,
So he dropped into the net. "Kerplop!"
The entire crowd arose to cheer,
Sam thought, "I must get out of here."

And then he said, "What do you know?
I came to watch but became the show."
The circus boss there on his right
Asked, "Can you do this tomorrow night?"

The clown roared up in a little truck,
"Hop in, my son, for you're in luck.
This has a very sturdy roof,
I assure you it is mongoose proof."

Sammy looked closely at the clown.
He saw a smile come through the frown.
And suddenly he thought, "What's this?"
Because he heard a little hiss.

Then Sammy saw, for goodness sake,
This little clown was another snake.
They both jumped in, put it in gear,
And hissed, "Sssso long, we're out of here."

Sammy remembers the time he spent
That night inside a circus tent.
When things were getting a little shaky,
He was rescued by a clown named Snakey!!

		--Grandpa Tucker
		Copyright ©1998 by Bob Tucker
		oldcoach77@aol.com
		
Grandpa Tucker's Rhymes and Tales (http://www.grandpatucker.com)