Over in the Meadow

Over in the meadow,

In a nest built of sticks,

Lived a black mother crow

And her little crows six.

"Caw," said the mother;

"We caw," said the six—

So they cawed and they cawed

In their nest built of sticks.

Over in the meadow,

Where the grass is so even,

Lived a gay mother cricket

And her little crickets seven.

"Chirp!" said the mother;

"We chirp," said the seven—

So they chirped cheery notes

In the grass soft and even.

Over in the meadow,

By an old mossy gate,

Lived a brown mother lizard,

And her little lizards eight.

"Bask!" said the mother;

"We bask," said the eight—

So they basked in the sun

By the old mossy gate.

Over in the meadow,

Where the quiet pools shine,

Lived a green mother frog

And her little froggies nine.

"Croak," said the mother;

"We croak," said the nine—

So they croaked and they splashed

Where the quiet pools shine.

Over in the meadow

In a dark little den,

Lived a gray mother spider

And her little spiders ten.

"Spin," said the mother;

"We spin," said the ten—

So they spun lace webs

In their dark little den.

Over in the meadow,

In the soft summer even,

Lived a mother firefly

And her little flies eleven.

"Glow," said the mother;

"We glow," said the eleven—

So they glowed like stars

In the soft summer even.

Over in the meadow,

Where the men dig and delve

Lived a wise mother ant,

And her little ants twelve.

"Toil," said the mother;

"We toil," said the twelve—

So they toiled and were wise

Where the men dig and delve.

— Olive A. Wadsworth