JOHN MORRIS
ON THE DEATH OF A FAVOURITE CAT
She was never the most active cat.
For with lazing eyes and ruffled fur
She would prostrate on the mat.
And stretch out, and purr,
And claw at the air in mock attack.
Then blinking up at the sun
She would roll to her back,
And once again strike up a pose,
Or glibly paw her twitching nose.
A cat of comfort, that was her.
And many times when caught abroad,
In even the slightest weather
That with cat did not accord,
She’d slither home with muddy paw.
And with dripping fleece; in pained disgust
She’d sit accusing at the door,
‘Till opened, then scurry in
And seek the nearest haven.
She’d pass her time in languid pleasure,
Engage the birds with careless regard.
‘Till with snap of reflex, and flurry of feather,
One sparrow, beguiled, cold lay in the yard.
Yet how quickly is forgot her crime
When the warm bundle later cuddles;
For amative softness is all I find,
Where the sparrows’ mem’ry lies still damp
Upon her soiled ambiguous hand.
My lap’s been cold now, this long day,
The armchair empty, the rug unused.
No sign to show where once she lay,
Save snag of thread where claw abused,
And a wisp of hair lay’n still where shed.
It was, as if she’d never been;
But still I’m careful where I tread
Lest her stealthy pad should pass me by,
And I careless stumble where she may lie.
Now the sparrows as impudent as ever.
The very place they once feared to tread
The cheeky chirping fellows gather,
As if they know my cat is dead.
For dead she is, I recall at last.
Death of a cat, so inconspicuous,
My senses would not have me grasp.
All but her mem’ry’s swept away,
For my cat, poor cat, she died today.
SPACE
We’re sitting here on planet earth,
Floating quietly through the void.
To await the final lurking doom,
That mankind cannot avoid.
Like the dinosaurs that met their fate,
All those years ago.
Eyes turned upon the darkened sky,
They watched the eerie glow.
A flash, a bang, and all was lost,
All life on earth was gone.
The depths of space had spewed its wrath,
And blotted out the sun.
Now just as helpless we sail along,
And await our fateful day,
When the skies go black, and the sun runs cold,
And space has its final say.
MAKING MUSIC
Tune me up, give me a strum
Pluck me, stroke me with your thumb
Prod me with a furtive digit
Make me squirm, make me fidget
Slide your hand all down my neck
Tease me, please me, make me fret
Lay me gently ‘cross your knee
And make me squeal with ecstasy
Twiddle my knob, mess with my g-string
Plug in, turn on and make me sing
Let’s make sweet music, for hours on end
Drive me hard, bring a friend
Bring more than one, and all join in
Let’s get down and make a din
Take me through your whole repertoire
Do as you will, I'm your guitar.
SOLAR FLARE
I’m standing on the Sun,
Where my journey’s just begun,
In the distant void I see Mercury is rising.
Though a darkness lurks between us,
I soon find myself on Venus
And watch the inky black caress the far horizon.
Then poised there so serene
Hangs a globe of glowing green,
Its emerald face bathed in the deepest blue.
Then on towards the stars,
Until soon I’m passing Mars,
Where the sun applies another blushing hue.
Giant Jupiter now looms,
As it herds its flock of moons.
Saturn I promise to give a ring someday.
Uranus is far behind,
Timid Pluto plays hard to find,
And soon I’m lost beyond the Milky Way.
On my journey goes,
To where, nobody knows,
A sight perhaps a myriad eyes will see.
To the endless bounds of space,
Where all shall see my face,
A light that shines for all eternity.
I’M SURE I WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS
There were lights in the sky, and an eerie
hum,When fellows 3 feet tall
Appeared one night and whisked me off,
As the aliens came to call.
They strapped me to a table top
In their spaceship as we flew,
And with metal probes and gruesome tools
They did what aliens do.
They poked around for quite some time
And flapped their pointy ears
Next thing I know I was in a field
And my friends had disappeared.
But I know just what some folks will say
That it was all a dream.
But my abduction was quite real, I’m sure,
‘Cus I’m not as once I’d been.
With tentacles stuck on my head.
And green skin, I look quite queer.
It’s a shock to be just 3 feet tall,
And I can’t believe my ears.
SHIVER
I shiver when a cool breeze blows
And whispers down my spine.
At a melody so melancholy
That the lyrics loose their rhyme.
I shiver when a flower blooms,
When I hear the skylark’s song,
Or when a distant cuckoo calls to say
That Spring has come along.
I shiver when the sun is high,
Or is chased away by clouds.
When the moon appears then quickly hides
And stars gather in their crowds.
I shiver when a baby cries,
And when slumber dries its tears,
When a smile lights up its innocence
Then quickly disappears.
I shiver each time a cruel tear
Stings my tender cheek,
When her haunting words are with me still
Though I did not hear her speak.
I shiver when I think of her,
Touch her face or stroke her hair.
And now I sit and shiver still
‘Cos I know she’s always there
.
CAT
Cat!
What is it that,
You find so exciting,
In clawing and biting
My hand?
The hand that feeds,
See how it bleeds.
And well it might,
From scratch and bite
So mean.
And yet,
While at the vet,
I am the one
To whom you run,
When the needle makes you cry.
And why,
Oh why, do you think you’re here?
As it would appear
This man in white
Means but to spite,
And make you cry.
Then why
Trust me?
For you can see
I too am a man;
With bleeding hand.
THE MAN AND THE CHILD
The man …..
The man ate ….
The man ate, and as he gorged himself he
reflected on his misfortune.
- the dent in his brand new car,
- the poor picture on his colour T.V.
- the holiday in France, jeopardised by the strike,
- the ‘lads’ losing again,
- the lack of improvement with his handicap,
- the brewers’ strike.
The child …..
The child ate …..
The child ate nothing,
And had no worries.
TIME SLIP
I watch the clock, restless.
Has it stopped?
Or does time ebb from the shores of life?
Or does it not move at all?
Perhaps the omnipresent one
Has neglected to wind up today,
And the universal timepiece
Sits motionless.
Awaiting divine intervention.
No, the clock has stopped.
MADONNA - A BLACK COUNTRY WENCH.
A liberty bodice of purest metal
Was ‘med down the Lye for Madonna
She tightened the straps with pliers
And attached her stockings with a sponna.
PUPPETS OF THE WIND
Puppets of the wind,
Your master pulls your strings,
He makes you dance and sing.
Then he plucks your golden memories,
And casts them to the autumn breeze,
And leaves them all where e’er he please.
Yet still you dance for him.
Then with all your priceless treasures flown,
You are left to stand and weep alone,
And mourn o'er happy times, once known.
And now your strings are still, at last,
Until the bitter days are past.
Then with all your emerald jewels amast,
Again you'll dance and sing.
GEORGIE PORGIE(1)
Georgie Porgie
Stupid and sly
Invaded Iraq
And made thousands die
When asked where it is
He gave the reply,
"A-raq is where
My wife hangs my tie."