See The Kitten
See the kitten on the wall,
sporting with the leaves that fall.
Withered leaves - one - two - three
from the lofty elder tree.
Through the calm and frosty air,
of this morning bright and fair.
Eddying round and round they sink,
softly, slowly; one might think.
From the motions that are made,
every little leaf conveyed
Sylph or Faery hither tending,
to this lower world descending.
Each invisible and mute,
in his wavering parachute.
But the Kitten, how she starts,
crouches, stretches, paws, and darts!
First at one, and then its fellow,
just as light and just as yellow.
There are many now - now one,
now they stop and there are none.
What insenseness of desire,
in her upward eye of fire!
With a tiger-leap half-way,
now she meets the coming prey,
lets it go as fast, and then;
Has it in her power again.
Now she works with three or four,
like an Indian conjurer;
quick as he in feats of art,
far beyond in joy of heart.
Where her antics played in the eye,
of a thousand standers-by,
clapping hands with shout and stare,
what would little Tabby care!
For the plaudits of the crowd?
William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)
Five Little Eyes
In Hans' old mill his three black cats
watch his bins for the thieving rats.
Whisker and claw, they crouch in the night,
their five eyes smouldering green and bright.
Squeaks from the flour sacks, squeaks from where.
The cold wind stirs on the empty stair,
squeaking and scampering everywhere.
Then down they pounce, now in, now out,
at whisking tail, and sniffing snout.
While lean old Hans he snores away,
till peep of light at break of day.
Then up he climbs to his creaking mill,
out come his cats all grey with meal.
Jekkel, and Jessup, and one-eyed Jill.
Walter (John) De La Mare (1873 - 1956)
Baggage
Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked into my warm new bed.
I would like to open my baggage
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry -
So much to regret.
Hmm.. Yes there it is, right on the top -
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add o my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage.
To never re-pack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired, you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?
Reprinted by permission from the author
Evelyn Colbath - The Bengal Rescue
Network
The Poet's Cat (by B.K. Poet)
Night by night
candle by candle
I sit
less sleep than I can handle.
Letter by letter
word by word
my dedication
some think absurd.
Sentence by sentence
strong>verse by verse
I ponder
can it get any worse?
Rewrite by rewrite,
poem by poem,
I stay
yet want so much to roam.
Acceptance by acceptance
Rejection by rejection
I purr
away the poets dejection.
Snuggle by snuggle,
reward by reward
being the poet's cat
I'm completely adored.
Reprinted with permission from the author D. Harrison of Bingo Kitty's Page
A Happy Ending
She bore them all alone-
No loving pats to ease her pain,
No cozy house to shield her
From the wind and driving rain
No bowls of milk to give her
Nourishment to feed
Six hungry little kittens
Who clung to her in need
She knew she had to find a way
To keep her babies alive
She needed help from somewhere
If they were to survive
So when the night was over
And the sun rose in the sky
One by one she took them
To a house that stood nearby
Instinct must have guided her
To choose a refuge where
There lived a lonely widow
With room enough to spare
One without a child
To brighten up her days
One who wouldn't turn away
Poor homeless little strays
The mother sat and waited
Till the door was open wide
And she and all six kittens
Were allowed to come inside
And that's just where they are today
A happy feline crew
Purring with contentment
But full of mischief too!
And she who took them in
And gave them tender loving care
Has found her home a brighter place
Because they're living there!
  
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