Tabitha

Tabitha (aka Dumpling)

Tabitha is a cuddly cat that snuggles up tight at night.
Striped silk taffeta her colours, that change as she moves
Like a river that eddies, the patterns flow where she glides
And affection channels in every stripe.

Tabitha is large cat that sometimes may play.
She scratches the post, talons shrieking and glinting.
She lies with her favourite, a fish borne of blue felt
That is smelly and wet but will never escape.

Tabitha lies on her back in deep sleep.
Her dreams, like her marking twist and turn to the pattern
Sometimes she is stalking the loquacious new neighbours,
Garrulous parrots up high in the trees, sometimes she pounces.

Tabitha is comfortable, thought is pie in the sky.
She’s easy to love and is faithful throughout
With a secretive naughty streak camouflaged in design
That can creep into the night when you’re asleep in your bed.

Tabby for short she certainly is, though the same name,
She is not the ‘difficult old woman’ to which the designation belonged
But with her hoops and her bands and streaks of bright orange
Like sticks of rock, she is pleasant throughout.

Linda Prince