Six Honest Serving Men

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.

I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small—
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!

She sends'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes—
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!

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~ from the 'Just So Stories' by Rudyard Kipling

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I recently bought the Podlings a beautifully illustrated copy of Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So Stories'. It is many, many years since I read these wonderful stories myself, so it is with great delight that I am reading them aloud to the Podlings. It was with great amusement that I read this poem from 'The Elephant's Child' as it could have been written about Lily. Lily has what I like to call 'an enquiring mind'. In short, she is insatiably curious and asks questions constantly. She is a very bright little girl and has a laudable thirst for knowledge that is, at times, a little exhausting to keep up with! I shall always think of Lily when I read this poem. Love that girl of mine!
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