The Tale of Custard the Dragon
by Ogden Nash
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little
yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet
dragon.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink, And the little gray
mouse, she called her Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as
Mustard, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and
scales underneath, Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And
realio, trulio daggers on his toes.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chased
lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage, But
Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse, Ink and Mustard
rudely asked his age, When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and
they all looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda, For
there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful, Ink, Blink and Mustard,
they rudely called him Percival, They all sat laughing in the little red
wagon At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a
cutlass bright, His beard was black, one leg was wood; It was clear that
the pirate meant no good.
Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom
of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine, Clashed his tail like
irons in a dungeon, With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm He
went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon, And gulped some grog from his
pocket flagon, He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate
victim. Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the
pyrate.
But presently up spoke little dog Mustard, I’d have been twice as brave
if I hadn’t been flustered
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink, We’d have been three times as
brave, we think, And Custard said, I quite agree That everybody is
braver than me.
Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse, And her little
yellow dog and her little red wagon, And her realio, trulio, little pet
dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chase
lions down the stairs. Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage, But
Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.
