He went for a walk
in the salty sea,
tripped over a ship,
a Spanish galleon.
He went for a stroll
in a summer meadow,
fell over a horse,
a thoroughbred stallion.
And every time
he stubbed his toes
he shouted, “Oh no!
I’m a clumsy giant.”
He went for a saunter
in haunted woodland,
tripped over a ghost
and injured his hand.
He went for a ramble
on a deserted beach,
slipped on a peach skin,
made a hole in the sand.
And every time
he stubbed his toes
he shouted, “Oh no!
I’m a clumsy giant.”
He liked to promenade
with a vat of lemonade
along the clifftop,
not afraid of the drop.
But accidents happen
and over he went
with a roll of thunder
accompanied by clapping.
And every time
he stubbed his toes
he shouted, “Oh no!
I’m a clumsy giant.”
Cyclops Billy was his friend,
Cyclops Billy advised him to mend
before he went walking again
and risked a tripping
over monsters
and men.
Cyclops Billy is tired of his groans,
Cyclops Billy adopted a tone
of gentle rebuke to the great fluke,
cushioned his bones
and proffered
him soup.
And every time
he stubbed his toes
he shouted, “Oh no!
I’m a clumsy giant.”
Thank you, Thank you,
I feel much better,
the giant admitted in a letter,
and then he went on his way
to take a tour
of pastures new,
to take a look and see the view,
hoping to do so
without any hassle.
He climbed a tree
higher and higher
and reached the top
with a skip and a hop
and took the look that he desired,
saw the sunset all on fire.
He climbed a mountain
even higher, reached the summit
before he retired,
scared the yeti who lived up there
until the poor creature
lost all its hair.
On an avalanche he descended,
soonest broken is soonest mended,
crashed into a castle
from a storybook,
rented by a vampire
but owned by a spook.
And every time
he stubbed his toes
he shouted, “Oh no!
I’m a clumsy giant.”
Rhys Hughes has lived in many countries. He graduated as an engineer but currently works as a tutor of mathematics. Since his first book was published in 1995 he has had fifty other books published and his work has been translated into ten languages.
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