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Hello Hippopotamus. 

      Are you having fun
Wallowing in that water

     And soaking up the sun?

Perhaps this happy hippo

     Has a great deal on his mind
As he compares the life he leads

     To that of humankind.

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Whilst they’re immersed in water,

     You're rushing off to school
And humans have so much to do

     Whilst they sleep in their pool.

But when the sun sinks in the sky

    And you make off to bed,

The hippos quickly come to life 

     And hope to be well-fed.

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Whilst we work hard upon the land

     To grow the grain we eat,
A hippo clambers from his pool

     To find sweet plants to eat.

Their young are born within their pool

     Whilst ours arrive in bed     

And hippos like to eat alone

     Whilst we share meals instead.

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They don’t wear clothes as humans do;

     They don’t have hair or fur.
Whilst we put sun cream on our skins,

      It's cool water they prefer.

With their eyes, their ears and nostrils

     All thoroughly emerged,
We both can see each other,

    Though their bodies are submerged.

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Each evening they forsake their friends

     And leave their watery home.
It’s then, whilst they search for their food,

     You may see a hippo roam.

It isn’t smart to come between

     A hippo and his pool
For that’s his place of safety.

     Don’t be stupid!  Don’t be cruel!

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If a hippopotamus is scared

   Or feels a bit perturbed,
It’s time for you to be alert.

    His speed is quite superb!

The other time to keep away

     Is when there’s young about.
A mother hippo’s dangerous,

     Of this there is no doubt.

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It’s probable that you will meet

     Some hippos in a zoo.
They also live in wildlife parks

     And there I’ve met a few.

If a hippo grunts politely,

     He’s calling out 'hello',
But whilst you find out other facts,

     It’s time for me to go.

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Copyright on all my poems

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