Page 50 - English Expedition Class 4

7 Rathers 1

Have you ever thought of being anyone else but you? What or who would you rather be? If
you could live in some other place, where would you like to live? Let’s read the poem to find
out what the poet would rather be.

I know very well what I’d rather be

If I didn’t always have to be me!
I’d rather be an owl,
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A downy feathered owl,
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4
A wink-ity , blink-ity , yellow-eyed owl
In a hole in a hollow tree.
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I’d take my dinner in chipmunk town,
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And wouldn’t I gobble the field mice down,
If I were a wink-ity, blink-ity owl,

And didn’t always have to be me!

I know very well what I’d like to do
If I didn’t have to do what I do!

I’d go and be a woodpecker,
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A rap-ity , tap-ity , red-headed woodpecker
In the top of a tall old tree.
And I’d never take a look

At a lesson or a book,
And I’d scold like a pirate on the sea,
If I only had to do what I like to do,
And didn’t always have to be me!

M.H. Austin (abridged)

1 rathers: (here) other preferences 5 chipmunk: a small ground squirrel that owls feed on
2 downy feathered: having small soft feathers 6 gobble: eat hastily
3 wink-ity: one that winks 7 rap-ity: one that raps
4 blink-ity: one that blinks 8 tap-ity: one that taps
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