Looking at himself,
In the little spring
At the edge of the oasis,
He was missing just one thing.
He felt so self conscious
And so down in the dumps.
He was the only Camel
Who did not have a hump.
His mother always said
It was no big deal.
But it seemed so odd to him
And that's how he would feel.
"There must be a way
To make myself a hump.
After all, what is it really?
It's just a big, round bump!"
So he went on his way
To look for a solution.
Something that looked real
With easy execution.
As he sat and thought,
Something caught his eye.
A brilliant thought popped up
When a Tortoise passed him by.
He'd spoken with the Reptile.
A deal with him arranged-
He'd give free rides to Tortoise
Who'd be his hump in the exchange.
They walked around so proudly,
But with all the stares they got,
They went their separate ways.
Hey, it was worth a shot.
Camel needed a new plan.
Then he realized with a shock
That every Camel's hump
Looked like a big, round rock!
Camel searched the desert
And found the biggest stone.
The size and shape were perfect!
He wore it with a groan.
Camel only walked a bit
When he had to take a break.
The plan failed very fast-
It caused his back to ache.
Continuing to think,
He looked for inspiration.
Could he build a hump
That met a Camel's expectation?
Looking at his feet,
He saw his fur had matched the sand.
Being close in color,
Could this be the winning plan?
"What if I make a mold!
I won't admit defeat!
I'll pack wet sand inside
And bake it in the heat!"
But it would not harden fully,
Camel noted with a grumble.
Each time he picked it up
The sand would crack and crumble.
Saddened he returned
To where the others sat.
He felt embarrassed and ashamed
With his back so smooth and flat.
One had raised her head,
She asked what was the matter?
Camel said he's odd
With a back that's so much flatter.
She looked up through long lashes
And slowly cleared her throat.
Then shrugged her two big shoulders,
"Huh, I'd never taken note."
She then turned to the others
Asking if they realized
He was kind of different?
His back a different size?
Their heads cocked to the side.
"You don't have a hump?
No, we did not notice
That you never had a bump.
That was their reaction.
They did not tease or put him down.
They did not try to shun him
Or run him out of town.
The others never noticed?
Maybe he misheard?
Someone had to realize
He was different from the herd.
"Ahem, but please excuse me,
I am completely stumped
How no one ever noticed
That my back was never humped!"
Their answer back to him
Removed his fear and doubt.
"You're hard working, fun and nice-
That's all we care about."
So what did we all learn?
When feeling down or in the dumps,
Being kind and generous
Will get you over any humps.
