Marvellous Marv
Was a veteran vet
Who could hypnotize hippos
And petrified pets

From the teeniest toad
To the mightiest mammal
He could appease an ape
Or calm a cross camel

He loved to budge budgies
From cages to trees
When spiders were spying
He helped to flee fleas

He gave badges to badgers
For being so brave
And ribbons to robins
He’d managed to save

Yes, he could fix foxes
And mend owwy owls
Prevent sickly chickens
From feeling so foul

But one creepy critter
Old Marv could not take
The slippery, slithery
Serpentine snake

Til one addled adder
Appeared at Marv’s door
And hissed that his head
Was all spinny and sore

So despite reservations
Marv took the snake in
To investigate what
Made the serpent’s head spin

But as soon as he handled
The sneaky snake’s head
It poised and it poisoned
And Marv was left dead

The point of this poem
(If you haven’t guessed)
Is that sometimes in life
To be cowardly’s best

See there’s no shame in fear
Of a genuine threat
If only he’d known it
Poor Marvin the Vet