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Poetry: Cats

by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

My Cat Likes Camping Better



My cat likes catnip, he likes camping better.....

I have a cat that's pretty fine, his Royal name is much like mine
T'is ' Royal Robert King the 7th' , but I just call him ' Bob the Eleventh' .
I take him camping right with me because he howls a lot you see,
And climbs back fences at midnight and wants to scrap and get in fights.

One smoky night the campfire failed, t'was black and cold outside
But nice and warm inside my tent and Bob did not confide
About the danger sensed outside there in the darkest night unseen,
So up Bob jumped and screeched, just then, and tore right through the screen.

"Hey Bob!" I yelled , and scratched my head, (I thought his eyes were kind of red)
To halt his 12th demise I thought, I had to leave my nice warm bed,
There was commotion, black as tar, the canvas coming down
And there he was up on the tent, and here is what I found;

Something big had Bob all right, I thought, and had to check,
And when I saw the fight take place, my brain asked "What the heck?"
Just screeching like he had to catch and eat a big black bear
Old Bob was fighting back like mad to give that beast a scare;

He had an ear clamped in his teeth, that's what I thought, all right
Swatting at that bear so bravely, trying to pick a fight
Until I told him "Let go, Bob, that isn't any bear! "
But naught I said was stopping Bob, he simply didn't care.

He looked just like old Garfield can, he stopped, and glared at me
And scowled and twitched his tail when I said " Bob, it's only me!"
"You're a rascal, know that, damned old cat, now get right down from there !"
And hauled him off the old tent line as if I didn't care.
" What's the matter with you, Bob? Now I have to fix the tent!"
"No more catnip for you, Bob! No more gummy bears! No more hot dogs! " I said...
But I hauled him back into the tent and really, that was that.
Because that's how things transpire when you have a royal cat.

Old Bob the Eleventh has more lives than good old Charlie Chan
Now he will purr and strut around as only old Bob can
When I say " Let's go camping now, and head right back up there!"
.....To the place Bob had the famous fight with Long John underwear.
(.............No wonder my Cat likes camping better, catnip, gummy bears, hot dogs.....)

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