Jack of the Inkpot
I dance on your paper,
I hide in your pen,
I make in your ink-stand
My little black den;
And, when you're not looking,
I hop on your nose,
And leave on your forehead
The marks of my toes.
When you're trying to finish
Your "i" with a dot,
I slip down your finger
And make it a blot;
And, when you're so busy
To cross a big "T,"
I make on the paper
A little Black Sea.
I drink blotting-paper,
Eat pen-wiper pie;
You never can catch me,
You never need try!
I leap any distance,
I use any ink,
I'm on your fingers
Before you can wink.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1951, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 72 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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