ELMO THE EFT

Elmo the eft is a salamander,
a spotted lizard of sorts.
His tail is very, very long
and his legs are very short.
He’s not truly a lizard at all.
The eft is third cousin to a frog.
You’ll find him swimming down in the pond
or hiding under a log.

I’ve seen him skitter his way around
the cool, damp forest floor.
When he curls beneath wet leaves to sleep,
he dreams he’s a dinosaur
but he will never, ever be one,
Elmo is much to small
and dinosaurs have been extinct
for eons after all;
or at least we think they don’t exist
but who knows what Elmo knows…
Maybe he is a dinosaur
that just didn’t grow.

The eft is a friendly critter,
a spotted lizard of sorts.
Its tail is very, very long
and its legs are very short.
You’ll find the eft in the forest,
near a pond or down on the bog.
He makes his home beneath wet leaves
beneath a rotting log.
The eft’s color is bright scarlet red.
He has eyes look like tiny beads.
He has black spots upon his back
and tiny claw-like feet…
But you need not ever be afraid
should an eft you meet
because an eft won’t hurt you.
They are shy and friendly critters.
They seldom speak but when they do
all they can do is whisper
should they decide to talk to you.
You’ll have to listen very closely,
should you see one on the forest floor.
If you hold one, listen close,
he may tell you about dinosaurs.
The eft knows all about them.
He’s been living here for years
and since efts are helpful critters
we can be glad they are here.

Annette Bromley