'Crocodile', by JK Annand, is one of the poems from 'The Kist' -  an anthology of Scots (and Gaelic) poetry and prose that was digitised by Education Scotland and gifted to the Scots Language Centre so that teachers and learners can continue to benefit from this valuable resource.

Crocodile by J K Annand

When doukin in the River Nile
I met a muckle crocodile.
He flicked his tail, he blinked his ee,
Syne bared his ugsome teeth at me.

Says I, 'I never saw the like,
Cleaning your teeth maun be a fyke!
What sort a besom do ye hae
To brush a set o teeth like thae?"

The crocodile said, 'Nane ava.
I never brush my teeth at aa!
A wee bird redds them up, ye see,
And saves me monie a dentist's fee.

Learning Resources

Reading

Read the poem and listen to the audio file.

1. Count the syllables in each line of the first verse of ‘Crocodile’. Is there a pattern?
2. Now, look at the rhyme scheme and work that out. What rhyme scheme does the poem follow?

Writing

Look at the adjectives the poet uses: ‘a muckle crocodile’; ‘his ugsome teeth’.

1. What do you think these words mean? Try to work it out by using the context clues.
2. Use each of the adjectives in sentences of your own.