I have a little shadow
That goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him
Is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me
From the heels up the head,
And I see him jump before me
When I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him
Is the way he likes to grow –
Not at all like proper children,
Which is always very slow.
for he sometimes shoots up taller
Like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little
That there’s none of him at all.