If it hadn’t been for a small, just the smallest, footprint on a shelf,
a little, just the littlest, gold scale in the bathtub,
a tiny, just the tiniest, feather in the icebox,
and ONE tiger’s whisker on the rug,
you would never have guessed that
there had been elves in the shelves,
mermaids in the bathtub,
penguins in the icebox,
rabbits in the coal bin,
peacocks on the table,
seals in the sink,
and a big stripy tiger sitting in front of the fire.