Down where the river runs slow and low,
Lived a giggly little otter by the name of Joe.
He giggled at the minnows, he giggled at the frogs,
He giggled at the turtles snoozing on the logs.
He'd float on his back with his toes in the air,
Giggling at the clouds going who-knows-where.
The ducks would grumble, "Joe, what's so funny?"
"Everything!" he'd giggle. "The water! The sunny!"
But one afternoon, mid-giggle, mid-spin,
A great big hiccup came bubbling in.
It burst out — HIC! — and to his surprise,
His giggles floated off before his very eyes.
Joe sat on the bank. He was quiet as a stone.
The river sounded strange with no giggles of its own.
The frogs tried a joke, and the ducks did a dance,
But Joe just sighed and stared at the plants.
Then a sleepy old catfish, rising for a peep,
Yawned such a yawn that he blew himself to sleep —
He drifted down the river, snoring on his back,
And Joe's lost giggles came rushing right back!
He giggled and he chuckled till the stars came out to see,
Then he curled up in the reeds as cosy as could be.
So if your giggles wander off, don't worry, don't you weep —
They always find their way back home… but first, my love, to sleep.