The Mixed-Up Chameleon
On a shiny green leaf
sat a small green chameleon.
You could hardly see it.
It moved onto a brown tree
and turned
brownish.
Then it rested on a red flower
and turned
reddish.
When the chameleon moved slowly across the yellow sand,
it turned
yellowish.
When it was cold and hungry,
it turned grey and dull.
It sat still
and waited.
Only its eyes moved.
Up,
down, sideways,
until it spotted a fly.
The chameleon’s long and sticky tongue shot out
and caught the fly.
When it was warm and had something to eat
it turned sparkling green.
That was its life.
It was not very exciting.
But one day...
...the chameleon saw a zoo!
It had never seen so many beautiful animals.
The chameleon thought:
How small I am,
how slow,
how weak!
I wish I could be big and white like a polar bear.
And the chameleon’s wish came true.
But was it happy?
No!
I wish I could be handsome
like a flamingo.
I wish I could be smart
like a fox.
I wish I could swim
like a fish.
I wish I could run
like a deer.
I wish I could see things far away
like a giraffe.
I wish I could hide in a shell
like a turtle.
I wish I could be strong
like an elephant.
I wish I could be funny
like a seal.
I wish I could be like people.
Just then
a fly flew by.
The chameleon was very hungry.
But the chameleon
was very mixed-up.
It was a little of this and it was a little of that.
And it couldn’t catch the fly.
I wish I could be myself.
The chameleon’s wish came true.
And it caught the fly!