A young ladybug named Barry
Was lost on an African prairie
Choking on dust
He thought that he must
Never again follow that lying canary.

He heard of a race being held
First prize was a trip to Hartfeld
A village near home
Where no lions roam
If he won, his woes would be quelled.

At registration, he met a flamingo
Who introduced herself as Jingo.
She was quite the force
Having designed the course
And was smitten by Barry’s glow.

She trained him day in and day out
“I’m going to win,” he said, “there’s no doubt.”
She wasn’t so sure
But his spirit was pure
So Jingo continued to teach him the route.

The day of the big race had come
Nerves caused Barry’s heart to thrum
She said, ”Give it your all!”
“Also, try not to fall”
But seeing the competition, his face drew glum.

He set out at an alarming pace
Barry was determined to win this race
But around turn three
What he did not see
Was a dung beetle right in his face.

The collision sent them both tumbling
Barry’s six legs were flailing and fumbling
All the racers passed by
He wanted to cry
His hopes of returning home were crumbling.

Jingo sensed Barry’s looming dread
She fluttered her wings and said,
“Don't fret my friend,
This isn’t the end,
How ‘bout I just fly you home instead?”