Out on the Serengeti,
Where the winds blow dry and hot
The animals get thirsty
And head to the watering spot.
All the animals drink here,
But giraffes are the topic today.
Their necks are so, so long
That they sometimes get in the way.
"The way we stand is quite odd,"
Gerald the giraffe did assert.
"The way we all bend down to drink
Makes our necks really hurt."
"There has to be a better way,"
And so began his quest.
A way for them to drink their fill
And give their necks a rest!
At first he tried lying down,
Neck flat on the beach.
But this simply did not work,
His mouth just could not reach.
Next he tried splashing up
The water, which proved tough.
None of it got in his mouth-
He couldn't get enough!
Gerald put on his thinking cap
And thought outside the box.
He thought all day while eating leaves
And nightly on his walks.
That night an idea came to him,
And he began to wake.
A way for giraffes to drink up,
But not cause their necks to ache!
"I'll build a straw from tall bamboo
and suck the water up!
That way I can drink all I want
While I'm standing up!"
So Gerald gathered long bamboo
And tied them up with vines.
He worked hard throughout the night
ensuring they aligned.
He put the straw to water's edge
Took a sip and looked up after.
But instead of being all impressed,
His friends were overcome with laughter.
Not discouraged he kept it up-
The straw worked perfectly!
As his friends kept watching,
They began to get intrigued.
"What is that thing?"
"How does it work?"
"Is it difficult to build?"
They asked Gerald to make them some, so they could drink their fill.
Now the giraffes feel so much better,
Thanks to their benefactor.
Everyone's so much happier now,
Well, except their chiropractor.