When I Grow Up

When I grow up,
I think I'll be
A detective
With a skeleton key.

I could be a soldier (5)
And a sailor too;
I'd like to be a keeper
At the public zoo.

I'll own a trumpet
And I'll play a tune; (10)
I'll keep a space ship
To explore the moon.

I'll be a cowboy
And live in the saddle;
I'll be a guide
With a canoe and a paddle. (15)

I'd like to be the driver
On a diesel train;
And it must be fun
To run a building crane.

I'll live in a lighthouse (20)
And guard the shore;
And I know I'll want to be
A dozen things more.

For the more a boy lives
The more a boy learns- (25)
I think I'll be all of them
By taking turns.

-William Wise