Aunt Ruth is much like a zoo
With animals galore;
Her frame is like a mouse
But she's an elephant to the core.

Her neck is long, like the giraffe
Her face is spotted, too;
She has the shrill hyena's laugh
But, like a dove, can coo.

Her nose is like a parrot's beak
Her words, like parrot's, do
Repeat the words of all her friends
(some of them she adds to)

Like the noble tigress, she
At times, thinks just of self.
But like a lioness, she hunts
With others (but less stealth)

Long and limber arms remind
Of chimpanzees and such
Old and suntanned skin is like
A snake--scaly to touch.

Like a monkey mama
My Aunt Ruth just loves to fuss
But on some rainy days, sleeps like a
Hippopotamus.

Aunt Ruth is much like a zoo
With animals galore;
I may say she's a bother
But each day I love her more.