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In the heart of the sunny, wide-open plains,
Lived Ziggy the zebra who loved the rains.
With stripes like shadows on his white fur coat,
He'd run through the grasslands, happy and afloat.
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But one morning Ziggy woke up with a yawn,
And gasped in surprise at the light of dawn.
He looked in the pond and cried out in fright,
"My beautiful stripes—they've vanished overnight!"
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He rolled on the grass, he danced in the sun,
He splashed in the river hoping for fun.
But no matter what tricks he tried that day,
His stripes were still gone—washed clean away!
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"I can't be a zebra if I'm only white!
I look like a horse, and that's just not right!"
So off he went, feeling worried and glum,
To find where his stripes could have possibly gone.
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He asked the giraffes who were munching on trees,
"Have you seen my stripes? They went off with the breeze!"
The tallest one smiled and gave Ziggy a grin,
"Your stripes are inside you, not just on your skin!"
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Next, he found Ellie the elephant grand,
Painting her toenails with mud from the land.
"Ellie, I've lost them! My stripes are all bare!"
She laughed, "Let's paint some! I've got stripes to spare!"
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They painted and giggled, made such a big mess,
Ziggy looked wild in a polka-dot dress!
But even with stripes of purple and green,
He sighed, "They're just not the same as they've been."
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Then Lucy the lioness came with a purr,
And sat down kindly right next to him there.
"Ziggy, you're special with or without lines—
It's your heart and your smile that make you shine."
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Ziggy looked up and gave a small grin,
Maybe his stripes were more deep within?
He twirled, he danced, and gave a big neigh—
"I'm still Ziggy, stripey or grey!"
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That night, the stars twinkled bright in the sky,
Ziggy curled up with a dreamy sigh.
And when he woke with the morning light—
His stripes had returned, bold and bright!
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He ran through the plains with joy and delight,
Feeling so proud, both strip
ed and white.
But now he knew, come rain or shine—
It's not the stripes that make you shine!