MEASLE TWO TOO

We have a Rag Doll Cat, a Princess holding court

She considers this house to be her personal resort

Vanity is not really a problem to this feline Royalty

We’re allowed to attend her here and swear fealty.

She has a blue rocker where she passes nap time

And if we ever sit in it, she would declare a crime

Her food must be placed just exactly so each day

She leaves you the idea too that it must be her way.

When she is very pleased and stoops a bit to let it show

She has a purr that vibrates all herself, when she lets go

You can’t tell if it’s flattery or if she is really that pleased

She’ll just lay on you and purr until your all Siamesed.

She has her boyfriend Socks who wanders by each day

She acts as if she doesn’t care a fig if he comes her way

She keeps her eyes open wide so she can maybe see

If the handsome rouge will wander by looking for she.

A catnip mouse is lost now, she put it so far away

It robbed her of her dignity as it forced her to play

It’s underneath a couch or maybe even her chair

She’ll never go and look for it. No, no matter where.

The only time she gets vocal, other than her meal time

Is when she is ignored, she considers that to be a crime

And when I go to be in the hospital for more than a day

My wife says she calls for me all night and will not play.

Some people say that cats don’t care for ones they choose

That cats are loners, finicky and will know only how to refuse

Affection given them by people who have come to understand

Your heart won’t work near as hard if a cat is under your hand.

Spider ‘04

NAMELESS

by: Spider

Tiny little thing now grown so cold.

You came here only, was it yesterday

Now you’re gone from our household.

We will never get our chance to play.

Dark with bits of tan to mark your fur,

You are not quite as long as my hand.

I’ll not get to ever hear your tiny purr,

As now I must inter you into the land

And though your eyes were never open

And you got no chance to look around,

You were with your birthmates when

There came for you that one last sound.

Was it mom’s mew that sent you off today?

Or was it God’s laugh that welcomed you

To Heaven where you can grow and play?

But what’s here leaves me a last thing to do.

I have to dig a hole to put you in and pray,

That someday we will meet face to face

Where we’ll both be more than okay.

Where we can be good friends in any case.

I hate to leave you like this, tiny little friend.

I feel guilty I didn’t do more to keep you here

I have to trust that it was your time to end.

That it wasn’t as cruel as it might appear,

That you had a name I could at least send.

But I guess I’ll tell them, “Nameless” was here.

Spider '08

KITTEN

Awesome wee little ball of fur

Faint little mew and giant purr

Runnin’ all ‘round the house

After some pretended mouse

Who can help but love a kitten

Fur frizzed, growlin’ ‘n spittin’

Tiny little container of life

Conquered me and my wife

The older cats will try to ignore

As she comes skiddin’ in the door

Tiny little conqueror of us all

Won our hearts while being small

May your life be long and always fun

Even though it has barely just begun

You have got a power over me to use

That is such you’ll be unable to abuse

Or make me ever stop loving you

Until both our lives are finally through.

© Spider ‘09

MY OLD CAT

She’s my old cat and she don’t do much

Just sits around, cat-nappin’ and such.

Early every morning around dawn

Her “hunger lamp”, must turn on

“Cause she is ready to open a can

And have a meal - that’s her plan.

She’ll yell and purr and bump her head

Until she’s served her meal and fed.

But nap time seems to be the best

On that she passes every cat-test

She once tried catnip on a spree

And reentered kittenhood with glee.

She was so foolish and lost her cool

Now she won’t do it and be the fool.

Don’t let ’em tell you that cats don’t feel

Because this old kitten loves for real.

The doctors all recommend a cat on the lap

To fill in for tranquilizers and other Medi-crap

Anyone who knows about the “Power of Purr”

Could tell doubting physicians they should concur.

I was gone to the hospital for a short while

You know my old cat refused to even smile

She cried and mourned me as if I was dead

And now she makes me into her all-day bed.

She’s just a misguided Ragdoll Siamese

But in her own way she tries to please.

Just a lazy, vain, old, fat feline she may be

But no matter her faults, she’s good for me.

Spider ‘03

WHO’S THE STRAY

As I travel about this place where I chose to live

I can’t help but see the faces to who I should give

Their slinking shyly out in back or along the street

Looking vainly for a scrap that they can try to eat.

Sometimes I think I see the face of a dear old friend

But it always sadly turns out to be another in the end.

The black and white, the orange and yes, the tawny

The skinny, malnourished and occasionally, a brawny.

I want to take them home with me, to leave the street

And feed them all the things I can, a bit of fish and meat

I want to have them on my lap, just to curl up and purr

And groom and wash their whiskers, rearrange the fur.

But my heart is sick, as I can see there are far too many

I wish inside with all my might that there just weren’t any

I think I’d like to feed them so they wouldn’t need suffer so

For like me, they are trapped here with no place left to go.

I could take a piece of the check the state sends to me

And buy cans of food to leave out where they could see

But I sadly turn away, as that tabby lives a life so unreal

I must admit that can of cat food might be my next meal.

But don’t feel sorry for me, as I can somehow get along

Do consider one of them that never did anything wrong

Have a little charity, of love and let one into your heart

I testify when that cat gets there, you’ll never be apart.

Another day has come to grind us on the cruel street

Like me, the cats are looking to escape the horrid heat

We all know that our coming deaths are not too far away

It leaves a question in the mind, “Which one is the stray?”

© Spider’04

Awarded 7 May 2009