National Poetry Month 2020 Day 15: “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” & “Sitting Staring”
Today’s “guest” poet is Edward Lear, whose nonsense poetry and limericks delighted
me as a child. I still find “The Owl and the Pussycat” to be a charming interspecies
romance.
me as a child. I still find “The Owl and the Pussycat” to be a charming interspecies
romance.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
By Edward Lear
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
II
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
III
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
And here is my less whimsical portrait of long-ago romance:
Sitting staring
By Blythe Stephens
She sat down on the bed
They sat down together
She stared out the window at the wind
They spoke to each other of depth
She lay her head down on her pillow
On his chest, she could hear his heart beating
Her vision blurred with tears, she closed her eyes
They closed their eyes as they kissed
Huddled alone beneath unwashed sheets
They held each other and whispered
She heard him whispering, softly,
Felt him play with her hair.
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