Bye Bye Sweet Friend!

This is a re-post from a couple of years back.  It is a poem I wrote about my neighbor's cat Sparky after cat-sitting both him and young Katie for a month while his people were away.

Sparky was the sweetest old fellow, and he passed away last Friday.  He will be so missed by Elaine, his owner, and by me too - his surrogate owner.  He leaves behind a very sad a lonely Katie... who just can't quite understand why her best friend has not come home.

RIP Sparky!

SPLENDID SPARKY SPEAKS

Sparky was a splendid cat,

Refined, mature and wise.

He’d been around the world a time or two,

You could see it in his eyes.

He’d hunted rabbits in the wild,

When New Zealand was his home;

He’d been all around the globe,

Except perhaps, to Rome.

His humans were a caring sort,

And sought a friend for him,

The cat they bought to give him joy

Believed the house a gym.

She was a very active gal,

Naughty, more to truth;

It could have been her nature,

But he thought it was her youth.

Mishaps became the normal day,

He had to struggle through.

She listened to no cat advice,

No, not a single mew.

Soon he became complacent,

Or maybe he was bored;

For after all his humans knew

That really, he was Lord.

A tune up was what he’d suggest,

If ever they would ask;

He could even offer them,

Assistance to the task.

Ah, Sparky was a splendid cat,

Refined mature and wise;

Yup, he’d sure welcome any chance,

To cut her down to size.

2010

Dale Graumann