On Choosing a Pet

I asked my mom to buy a horse.
She says that there’s no room, of course.

The thought of owning a giraffe
just makes her shake her head and laugh.

And as for a rhinoceros,
she told me that’s preposterous.

When I brought home a wild yak,
she called Tibet to take it back.

I thought she’d like a cute red fox.
She threw him out and changed the locks.

And then that poor tarantula,
she drove off with a spatula.

I said “How ’bout an ocelot?”
but she just yelled an awful lot.

And when I caught that rattlesnake…
I’m pretty sure those tears weren’t fake.

I just can’t make my mom agree—
I guess that means she’s stuck with ME!