The littlest elephant was tired of hearing
She was too small, adults would say sneering.
"Be careful of that!", "Don't go near this!"
When she came around, they would quickly dismiss.
When they would all go to the watering ground,
Everyone would go in and spray water around.
Little one, so excited, would get ready to leap
Before being scolded and told, "It's too deep."
The sunsets on savannas are a sight to behold,
Seeing shades of bright pink, purple and gold.
But little one couldn't see, though she did try
her best,
Stuck in the back, smaller than the rest.
At feeding time the herd gathered round trees,
But little one, only as high as Mom's knees,
Was forced to beg and forced to beseech.
Being so small, she just couldn't reach.
She wanted to be part of the herd so bad,
And being excluded had made her feel sad.
She decided to leave and go off on her own.
She figured she may be better off alone.
Shortly after, a turtle appeared on the way.
He had a brown shell, and appeared old and grey.
He noticed her sad, and asked why the frown?
She said that her size was getting her down.
The turtle replied, "Do you feel too large?"
She said, "Oh no! I am too small too charge
With the rest of my herd, behind I do fall."
"Well you look huge to me! But I am quite small."
She thought for a bit and then asked the turtle,
"Do you find your size to be a big hurdle?"
"No, not at all! I do like my size.
And I am other things too, most of all wise.
I have words of advice to follow to the letter.
If you listen to me, you will feel much better.
Small size or large, we can all do our part.
It's not the size of your body, but the size of
your heart!"
"And you forget, little one, and this I know true-
You are clearly taking too narrow a view!
You'll continue to grow, so don't be depressed.
You'll continue to grow, so don't be depressed.
One day you will reach the size of the rest!"
With that the turtle said he should be on his way,
And little one decided to not run away.
She returned to the herd, it didn't take long
Before it became clear that something was wrong.
She heard the adults express great concern
About another baby, even younger than her.
He had wandered off and far he did amble,
Until he got trapped in some thorny bramble.
The elephants were too big to fit inside,
And he was too scared, so he just sat and cried.
The little one knew she was small enough
To help the baby escape the sharp stuff.
While the adults sat arguing about the best plan,
The little one slipped right past her clan.
She eased her way into the thick, bristly brier,
And when baby saw her, his eyes became drier.
She navigated him to the outside,
And the adults all looked up, happy and surprised.
With their long trunks, they trumpeted praise.
Little one felt so proud under their gaze.
They told her how lucky they were she was here
And patted her back with thanks and good cheer.
Little one now realized what turtle had meant,
And about herself and her size now felt content.
She was happy, care-free and loved by all,
Unhappy no more to be a bit small.
For turtle's advice, she was gladly in debt.
And remember that elephants never forget.
