As I was walking home one night,
A shadow from an alley did give me a fright,
It was a creature of the feline variety--a tom no less,
From ears to rakish tail he was dressed in his best,
Leopard-print socks--he had two jaunty pairs,
A fine black coat and an insouciant air,
It was I who asked him in a fit of curiosity,
"What is your hurry, my fine looking kitty?"
To which he answered, "To the Jellicle Ball, of course!"
"And I think your hair looks like a patch of gorse!"
After having his rude little say,
That perverse tom went on his way.
Reflecting on this I continued on my way again,
But was startled by a crash from an old trash can,
This time the cats were a pair,
Patchy of coat and fine of hair,
Sleek and quite the diamonds in the rough,
They certainly looked friendly enough,
Not learning my lesson I asked,
"How now, my fine felines, what has passed?"
"The Jellicle Ball, guv, wot else you think?"
Said the irrepressible twosome with a sly wink,
And they were away before I could doff my hat,
(And I seemed to have misplaced my watch after that.)
At five past ten I was on the go once more,
When a sedate old tom came out the Vicarage door,
I marvelled at his dignity and said,
"Good sir, shouldn't a cat of your majority be abed?"
Replied he, "Nay, I need to be at the Jellicle Ball!"
Before strolling away with tail standing tall,
As if in defiance of his age,
Though I was sure he was a patriarchal sage,
Oh dear, I seemed to have offended!
Be assured that it had not been intended!
I am only a poor bemused young person,
Who had seen a few things that had no rhyme or reason.
Returning home I told my tale of wonder,
To all who would listen and seriously ponder,
And spread the word about my encounters,
To those who were believers and doubters,
And until this moment I still wonder whimsically,
What might have become of my life eventually,
If I had made my story known--seized the day,
The eager ailurophiles* would handsomely pay,
To hear me speak in the many auditoriums,
But sadly my life did not turn out that way,
For my loving family had me committed to several sanatoriums.
*Ailurophiles: Cat-lovers