Paw, the cat/kitten,
Black as good-bye,
With one white mitten,
Has disappeared.
I sent a note,
By boat,
To Sister Darling of
The Rarified Church of the World (reformed)
To come and help me search
Partridge Island.
She arrived with a
Boatful of Evangelists to assist.
Now, put their proselytizing beliefs aside,
And you can’t do better than
A boatful of Evangelists
To get a job done.
They packed seventeen adherents of
The Rarified Church of the World (reformed)
Onto a fishing boat,
And faster than you can say Holy Roller,
A search of Partridge Island began.
They – like me – first started at the Lighthouse,
But to no avail.
Nor any luck at my Lighthouse Keepers House.
So,
They broke into three groups,
One up each side and shore of the island,
And the biggest group up through the centre.
It’s not a big island,
But – Jesus –
It’s big enough.
Sister Darling and I
Moved from group to group.
Five and one half hours and four minutes later,
There was a yell,
From the direction of the left shore.
“Come!” “COME!”
Sister Darling and I ran.
I stumbled, and she pulled me up.
And we ran again.
When we got to the searchers,
They just gaped and pointed.
I hesitated, but Sister Darling
Pulled me again.
And when we reached the place
I gaped myself.
That miserable, cantankerous, intransigent cat.
That insistent insistent insistent animal,
Was guarding a brood of baby rabbits,
Their pecked and ravaged mother at their side.
Paw had become a feral protector.
And would let nothing near.
Until Sister Darling spoke, and cooed his name.
When she touched him, he almost fell over from fatigue.
Those Blessed Evangelists picked up each baby,
And snuggled them carefully into a pocket.
Sister Darling handed Paw to me and
– Sweet Jesus, I confess it –
I was crying.
I’m The Lighthouse Poet Laureate of Partridge Island /1821 – 2024 / A lot of stuff have I seen / A lot of stuff to report}
DE BA. UEL
To be at my most truthful,
“I was there first
Waiting for the bus.”
But then one crow came along,
And settled into a tree,
And then fluttered to the ground,
And then hopped upon the fallen leaves,
Making quite a noise, it must be said.
And I, of course, looked around,
And up and down,
Because I didn’t want any sorrow.
But within a minute of my searching,
Another crow settled into a tree
So there would be joy in my life.
Then it hopped and landed on the ground,
And made a fuss in the grass,
Which perhaps encouraged a third crow
To swoop and settle beside it.
So then I assumed a letter
Was coming to my door,
But then crow number four
Made a quartet
Just as the bus arrived.
Then all eight eyes
Fixed me with a stare,
As the doors swung open
And I paid my fare.
DE BA UEL
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