The Old Gumby Cat by T S Eliot

The Old Gumby Cat

I have a Gumby Cat in mind.
Her name is Jennyanydots.
Her coat is of the tabby kind with tiger stripes and leopard spots.
All day she sits beneath the stairs or on the steps or on the mat.
She sits and sits and sits and that's what makes a gumby cat.
That's what makes a Gumby Cat.


But . . .
When the day's hustle and bustle is done Then the Gumby Cat's work is but hardly begun.
And when all the family's in bed and asleep, She tucks up her skirts to the basement to creep.
She is deeply concerned with the ways of the mice:
Their behavior's not good and their manners not nice.
So when she has got them lined up on the matting,
She teaches them music, crocheting and tatting.


I have a Gumby Cat in mind.
Her name is Jennyanydots.
The curtain cord she likes to wind and tie it into sailor knots.
She sits upon the windowsill or anything that's smooth and flat.
She sits and sits and sits and that's what makes a Gumby Cat.
That's what makes a Gumby Cat.


But . . . When the day's hustle and bustle is done
Then the Gumby Cat's work is but hardly begun.
She thinks that the cockroaches need employment
To prevent them from idle and wanton destroyment.


So she's formed from that lot of disorderly louts
A troop of well-disciplined helpful boy scouts
With a purpose in life and a good deed to do.
And she's even created a beetles tattoo!


For she's a jolly good fellow!


Thank you my dears . . .


I feel like this...rest and then, get busy once everyone else is resting. Such is the way of working at home and being a mama. :) I had to learn this poem in 6th grade and I'm very glad we did. I love it even more so as the years add up. It's sad that poetry is so watered down...I don't know. Maybe I'm so out of poetry that I have no idea if there is a resurgence of poetry. I would love to get back into writing and reading poetry. Are there any new favorites?I know there is a lot of cross over with poetry and music. I'm so thankful for teachers showing me poetry and for my parents getting me Cricket magazine when I was a young girl. That's how I feel in love with art and poetry. And now, my kids are learning this too. I feel so blessed when I think about all the good things in my life. Certainly, there are bad things but it's more important to me to remember the good. It helps having had a cup of coffee and listening to salsa guitar. Have a good day!

Comments

Popular Posts