Once there was an elephant,
With large ears and no tusks.
He had a tiny, tiny, tail,
And would shout, “Oh shucks!”

This elephant was only a child,
With the name of Hung-li.
He lived in Scandinavia,
And lived there happily.

This little elephant was different,
And let me make this crystal,
For this baby elephant,
Was a deep shade of purple.

In the fields of Scandinavia,
Little Hung-li would play.
All by himself,
Every single day.

And in this land of Scandinavia,
Only one thing was absent.
Hung-li had no friends,
For there was no other elephant.

And one day he realized,
He had not a single friend.
But for reasons that baby elephant,
Could not comprehend.

He plopped down and wept,
And bawled, and sobbed, and cried.
For poor little Hung-li,
Had no other elephant by his side.

As Hung-li whimpered,
There was a lone swallow.
That was flying overhead,
Trying to see what was below.

The bird caught sight of Hung-li,
And swooped down to the elephant who was grim.
For the little swallow,
Wanted to bring cheer to him.

The swallow was yellow,
And went by the name of Sam.
He had bright, sparkling eyes,
And liked to eat ham.

Sam landed next to Hung-li,
And opened his beak,
"Why so sad, little elephant?
Tell me what's wrong, please speak."

Hung-li looked up,
With a tear drop in his eye.
He said, "I'm all alone!
This is why I cry!"

The bird was confused,
So he looked around.
Not a single other elephant,
Could be found.

"Then why little elephant,
Are you so alone?
Tell me your story," Sam said,
"Let it be known."

“For as long as I can,
All I remember,
Is being by myself,
Forever and ever."

"Tell me your name,
I am Sparrow Sam,
I come from far away,
And I like to eat ham."

"I am Hung-li,
It is nice to meet you Sam,
I live here,
And I do not like ham."

"Well little elephant,"
Sam began,
"I will help you,
I will be your guiding man!"
"To where?
Where will we go?
You cannot know where to take me,
You are just a dumb dodo."

Sam reared back,
He was shocked.
"I will take you to Africa!
I will take you there!" He squawked.

"Africa,
What is that?
Do not fill my head with lies,
Get out of here, scat!"

Sam let out a sigh,
This was harder than he thought.
This silly little elephant,
Was making him distraught.

"Dear little elephant,
Please, please listen to me.
I am not trying to deceive you,
I am trying to be friendly."

"But why, I ask,
Is this Africa,
So much better,
Than my Scandinavia?"

"There are other elephants,
There are Hung-li.
There are others just like you,
As far as the eye can see."

Hung-li's eyes widened,
His ears perked up.
His heart was lifted,
By the sparrow's gossip.

"How do I get there?
What road do I take?"
Hung-li questioned.
"No longer do I want my heart to ache."

"Let me show you,
Let me be your guide.
I will not mind,
I will abide."

"Then let us go!
I want to see this place.
Show me the way,
And set a very fast pace."

The two were off,
With Sam in the lead.
The bird flying overhead,
Was what they agreed.

They traveled far and long,
Day and night,
Through rain so dark,
And sun so bright.

Across hills and mountains,
Through rivers and valleys,
On soft dry turf,
And over dangerous Rockies.

The journey was hard,
And Hung-li grew tired.
But the thought of other elephants,
Made him inspired.

And something began to change,
As the two came closer,
Something began to happen,
Something began to stir.

Hung-li became lighter,
With every step he took.
That little elephant,
Was starting to change his look.

His dark, dark skin,
That was once purple,
Had lightened.
To a soft shade of periwinkle.

Maybe it was the excitement,
Maybe it was the change.
For little Hun-li’s heart,
Was free-range.

Sam flew straight down,
One day in the hot, dry sun,
And said, "Well little elephant,
We are about to have some fun."

Hung-li looked up,
And squinted his eyes.
"What do you mean?
What do you see up in those skies?"

"I see Africa,
Hung-li!
I see Africa, and elephants,
As far as my eyes can see."

"Then let us run!
Let us race! Come on let us go!
I want to see the elephants!
Come on little sparrow!"

But Sam shook his head,
And bowed it to his chest,
"This is where I leave you,
I must go home and rest."

"But Sam,
We have come so far.
You were my friend,
You were my guiding star."

But still Sam resisted,
"It is your journey here on out,
Do not fuss,
Do not scream and shout."

Hung-li nodded his head,
A solemn look on his face.
The friendly little sparrow,
Was someone he could never replace.

Hung-li went one way,
And Sam went the other.
But still Hung-li was changing,
Getting lighter and lighter.

He walked up to the others,
All milling around,
He walked in a trance,
Almost spell bound.

They greeted him with joy,
They welcomed him in,
And little Hung-li,
Had regular colored skin.

He was like all the other elephants,
From his little head to toe.
No longer was he purple,
He had his true colors to show.

And for once in his life,
Little Hung-li was happy,
He was with other elephants,
Living carefree.