Socks, you are such a warm and cool
Benevolent cat
How I envy you and your life
You live your lifeÊlike a Vagabond,
A Hunter
And a King
Warmed by your lounging space where you lay about
By the firelight
That sometimes you will share
Rather reluctantly
Or by the portable heater
Which you claim and covet as your own
O, so selfishly
Cooled by the patio deck wet with dewdrops
And by backyard breezes
Coaxing you to come outdoors
Or by the cold aluminum flashing
Of the neighborhood mailbox that you hang around
And sometimes dare to pounce on
As if it were some kind of prey
Or an adversary
To be vanquished by you
You, The Great White Tiger,
The Powerful Puma-Panther,
The Black & White Terror of Buckskin St.!
The rightful heir of all great and royal cats
Full of sinews, teeth and claws
And my, what a majestic tail you have!
You're a feline exhibition
Of movement, power and prestigious glory!
You are Socks, The King Cat!
And this neighborhood,
Why, it's your hereditary possession
The neighbors ought to be wary of you
When they pick up their mail
At the central mailbox in the middle of the street
Whereabouts you hide keenly undercover
Observing as they rue and sigh
Over copious amounts of junk mail stuffed and crammed
Into those tight little rectangular boxes
You watch their sullen faces
So exasperated and disappointed
For not in a long while have they been blessed
With a love letter,
Or a wedding invitation,
Or even a friendly greeting card
From a long lost friend
Or a distant lover
But little do they realize
That while immersed in self-pity
You are there.Ê Lying in wait.
Slyly peering through leaves & branches
So close at hand. Watching. Waiting.
Stealthily creeping toward human heads and shouldersÉ ready to attack!!Ê
To maul, and claw, and gouge and bite with fearsome cat power unleashed!!
Sending arms flailing and junk mail flying! But first, you hesitate...
A moment's pause for reflection:
"Eh, lucky for them", you think to yourself,
"The mailman delivers right after I've had my lunch. So, for now, I have no appetite"
Thus, you let the neighbors return placidly to their homes and families
And to their flat screen plasma TVs, like sheep let out to pasture
And all remains peaceful in the neighborhood
In your universe
Where the great white-tiger-puma-panther-cat
Rules benevolently
And on this day, unbeknownst to most,
The King Cat has proven himself merciful
"Ungrateful peons!", youÊmeow out loud,
Pray that the mail never arrives too early
ÉOr too late!"
Returning to your castle, amid little fanfare (just as you like it),
You coast in quietly,
Seemingly, upon backyard breezes
And soon, you fall fast asleep.Ê
There, ...in the warmth of the lap of The Queen
In the lap of luxury
By the firelight...
