A Crash of Rhinoceros [*]

Carrie Newcomer

When Adam went out to name the animals
He sat on a rock and he figured
Horse and cow and goat and sheep
Were the best names that he could deliver
But Eve looked around at all of that glory
Said Hon I think we should consider
Something a bit more unique and refined
For each and every critter

It's a crash of rhinoceros a pomp of Pekinese
It's a gaggle of geese and a swarm of bees
A parliament of owl and a gam of whale
A pandemonium of parrot and a watch of nightingale
A huddle of walrus, company of moles
Exultation of lark and a murder of crow
A simple flock sheep and a herd of deer
Its a bask of crocodiles and a sleuth of bear

Adam looked shocked and scratched his head
Eve stood there happy and beaming
The animals gathered in close to their feet
With roars of delight, barks and singing
She's on a roll and just getting started
The birds and beasts held their breath
What fine appellation would they receive
And which one of them would be the next?

It's a team of oxen and a mob of kangaroo
It's a charm of flinch if there are more than two
A troubling of goldfish, a cluster of cats
A bloat of hippopotami, a cloud of bats
Ostentation of peacock, a barren of mules
An army of ant, nursery of raccoon
A parcel of penguins, a dray of squirrels
A bed of oyster with or without the pearls

All that naming lasted far into the night
Until even the insects had groupings
Eve was still bright eyed and willing to finish
Though her shoulders and fig leaves were drooping
Adam said, Ã¢??Darling I'm proud and amazed
You're really one heck of a woman
So let's go to sleep and tomorrow we'll rise
And we'll start naming the rocks plants and woodlandsÃ¢??

It's a tittering of magpie, company of mole
It's a pride of lions and a tribe of goats
A plague of locust and a pack of dogs
A leap of leopard, an array of hedgehog
It's a caravan of camels, a drift of swan
A sulk of foxes and the list goes on
It's a an prickle of porcupine, a battery of hens
A cohort of zebra and now once again

It's a colony of rabbits, and a sounder of boar
An ambush of tigers, now just a little more
It's a business of ferrets, a swarm of eels
A covey of quail and a pod of seals

It's a parade of elephant, a dole of dove
A bale of turtles and all of them I love
And she kissed the horde of hamsters
On their furry little heads, sighed with satisfaction
And she went to bed