The Okapi

The Okapi
1764

Through Africa’s hidden heart rum,
In regions seldom trod by man,
My rainbow hues light up the gloam
As far as mortal eyes might scan
What wonder science sighed to see
A living, breathing skapi!

My face is yellow-white, my pate
Is chestnut, while my sides and feet
Are mottled; and I beg to state
I am not good for men to eat,
O’er swamp and desert, dry or sloppy
Unhindered roves the rare Okapi

The puny horse must feel forlorn-
The proud giraffe, oh, where is he?
Pooh!pooh! thou fabled unicorn-
My neck is thick, my horns are three
E’en man seems humbled, since his eye
Has viewed the glorious Okapi

Tis but a subtle mark of fame
And tribute to exclusive ways,
That pocts can’t pronounce my name
When sounding paeons in my praise
Yet none the less, it makes thems happy
To sing the newly gained Okapi
-Burger Johnson