Poetry Friday: Elephant Poems

What An Elephant's Trunk Is Good For
by Douglas Florian

Spraying showers,
Picking flowers.
Moving your bed,
Smacking your head.
Getting cats out of trees,
Picking you up by the knees.
Holding files,
Throwing a Frisbee seventeen miles.
Giving a hug,
Squashing a bug.
Raking leaves,
Catching thieves.
Painting a wall,
Playing basketball.
(It's easy to dunk when your nose is a trunk.)

From Bing, Bang, Boing p. 86

Eletelephony
by Laura Elizabeth Richards

Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant—
No! no! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone—
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I've got it right.)
Howe'er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee—
(I fear I'd better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)

Other elephant poems on the web to enjoy:

My Elephant Thinks I'm Wonderful by Ken Nesbitt
The Elephant by Hilaire Belloc
The Elephant Elevator Operator by Christopher Cerf and Norman Stiles

And here is CanTeach's page on elephant songs, poems, and finger plays:

Elephants

And these poems would work well with these fabulous picture books:

Elephants Can Paint Too by Katya Arnold, 2005
An Elephant in the Backyard by Richard Sobol, 2004
Ballet of the Elephants by Leda Schubert

Poetry Friday Roundup is at Check It Out.