Whenever I walk in a London Street,
I'm never so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares
And the masses of beards,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street,
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, "Bears,
Just look how I'm walking in all of the squares!"
And the littlebears growl to each other, "He's mine,
As soon as he's silly and steps on the line."
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It's ever so portant how you walk.
And it's ever so jolly to call out, "Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!"
LINES AND SQUARES
A. A. Milne
When We Were Very Young
Methuen & Co. Ltd. 36 Essex Street London W.C. 1934
