In a far off place called Bluff cove
Lived a little penguin boy.
He was always very happy
He thought life was but a joy.

He liked to swim in the ocean
And play on the sandy shore.
All the other penguins loved him
By each one he was adored.

Henry so liked the diddle-dee
And teaberries he would pick.
He always shared with one and all
Papas and mamas and chicks.

Each day his parents went to sea
To bring Henry some fresh fish.
When they got back he thanked them well
And ate his favorite dish.

One day a dark shadow appeared
Upon Henry’s sunny shore.
He got a strange feeling, one like
He had never felt before.

Henry’s bones felt cold and his black
Feathers began to fall down
Upon the sand. He could not
Walk or shake his arms around.

The shadow was cast by a large
Black boat that looked like a wreck.
It’s sides were rusty and dented
And tall cages filled its deck.

Then Henry heard a sound he had
Never heard near his blue sea.
A man’s voice cried out suddenly,
“Oh, sir, would you please help me?”

Henry looked round; then he saw him;
There shivering in the sand,
With clothes drenched in salty water,
Crawling along, a small man.

“Oh dear sir, what happened to you?”
Asked Henry, feeling quite blue.
“I worked on that squid boat for a
Man ‘twas evil through and through.”

“I decided I could not take
It for minute day longer.
So I climbed up onto the rail
And jumped into the water.”

“It was hard to swim to the shore.
The water was so icy.
I could barely breathe as I swam.
My survival was dicey.”

“Now I am here on this warm sand.
But this I know sincerely.
The captain will try to find me
And punish me severely.”

Henry’s heavy heart was about
To break from this man’s sad tale.
He surely must help escape
Being thrown the ship’s jail.

“I know a place where you can hide.”
Said Henry to the poor man.
“Please follow me up this small hill
And onto the drier land.”

Then Henry showed the man a cave
In the side of that small hill.
He told the man to wait and said,
“I’ll be back here soon, I will.”

Henry then told all the penguins
What he needed them to do.
Together they would all pitch in
Each and ev’ry last Gentoo.

Some brought wood to make a fire so
Warm and cozy he would feel.
Others brought diddly-dee and fish
To make him a filling meal.

But the most importantly of all
Henry’s team had to stamp out.
Each and every footstep the
Man made as he walked about.

At last, the captain came ashore.
The penguins shook at the sight.
He’d a patch over his left eye
And a cloud over his right.

He pointed his cane at the beaks
Of each of the scared Gentoo.
“Where is the man who came ashore?
Tell me or I will make you.”

Henry waddled up to the man,
He was scared but not afraid.
“No man has come ashore here,
For no footsteps have been made.”

The captain looked down at the sand.
And no footsteps did he see.
“I guess you’re right and I am wrong.
He must have been drown at sea.”

The captain sailed the ship away.
Never to be seen again.
Although the man moved into town
He would oft’ see the penguins.

Henry was even happier
And would be more each ‘morrow.
It’s hard to appreciate joy
Unless you’ve known some sorrow.

So Henry lived ever thankful
For the happy life he had
In Bluff Cove by the rolling sea
With his mother and his Dad.