Joe Giraffe was truly tall
as giraffes all tend to be.
No lion, gazelle or zebra
could see half that he could see.

The crocodiles and hippos.
each beast who dwelt on the plain,
envied the view that Joe enjoyed
from so high above the terrain.

"Joe," his friend, the cheetah would say,
"I would give up half my speed
to see all the things that you must see,"
and no animal disagreed.

The hyena said, "Take my cunning."
The zebra cried, "Take my stripes."
The leopard offered his every spot
and promised to never once gripe.

But what all the animals didn't know,
not one creature on the plain,
was the awful secret Joe had kept
so high above the terrain.

Joe, who could see for miles afar,
who had views of such wondrous sights,
rarely even opened his eyes,
for Joe was afraid of heights.

They envied his view of the river,
they envied his view of the trees,
but when Joe looked out upon the land,
he shook from his neck to his knees.

He knew his friends longed to see
beyond where the great river curves,
but though he could see that far and more,
Joe was a jumble of nerves.