The Anarchist and the Cat

[Hawkman]

For Revolte

At dead of night, beneath his cloak,
Eyes hidden by his hat,
An anarchist intent on crime
Was stared at by a cat.
It perched atop a dustbin lid
And calmly stroked its whiskers
And then addressed the anarchist
In confidential whispers.

It asked him what his mission was
It asked him who must die
It asked him why he dallied thus
In short it asked him why.
But the anarchist, eyes glinting
Beneath his hat’s wide brim,
Behind his shroud of darkling cloth
Just clenched his teeth and grinned.

Conversing with a cat, he thought,
Would mean he was insane,
And knowing that he wasn’t mad
Refused to play the game.
But the cat, who knew his business,
Just sat and calmly listened
For hoof beats on the cobbled street
That in the moonlight glistened.

Inside his stately carriage
The Crown-Prince sat and preened
And polished nails so manicured
They positively gleamed,
While outside in the dewy night
His coachman whipped his team,
Four stallions, black as midnight,
With their breath a misty steam.

The clatter of approaching hooves
Alerted then our pair,
The one equipped with dynamite,
The other who just stared.
Fumbling with the folds of cloth
The anarchist prepared,
He lit the fuse and flung his bomb
Too hyped for feeling scared.

Then the cat, who knew his business,
Dropped down behind his bin,
And stopped his ears with cotton wool
To shield them from the din.
Exploding like the wrath of God
With sheets of flame let fly
The Prince’s coach (and bits of Prince)
At last came down nearby.

The anarchist, who screamed his joy,
Then turned and ran away
The cat though just unstopped his ears
And mourned this awful day.
He knew what this night’s work would bring:
By war the world left flat:
And all because an anarchist
wouldn’t listen to a cat.

[Astromaxis]

WOW ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL Reason is a beautiful element - despite the Prince's obvious snobbishness - was that a good enough reason for him to die?

Question yourself.

[dafydd manton]

I really loved that. One of the most fun, yet moving and thought-provoking things I've read in a long time. I really admire your talent.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Well, I might not have listened to your cat but I surely enjoyed listening to the cat's owner (if it would deign to allow him to be so described). Marvelously funny and deft work. Thank you.

[lallison]

A fun and insightful tale. The cat theme is always a winner!

[justice4all]

Very well written. I enjoyed the feel throughout. A really interesting poem that made me think of Poe's Raven. Well done.

[blank|verse]

I'm not sure what the stalwart of the Lit Net forum has done to deserve this...

The Prince’s coach (and bits of Prince)
At last came down nearby.

but it was an enjoyable piece, Hawkman.

Shades of Alice in Wonderland at the assassination of that Scottish indie band what triggered WWI (that's right isn't it?).

[hack]

So lyrical.
It trips easily from the tongue.
Good work, my friend...peace...

[AuntShecky]

As usual your word choice is intriguing -- and endearing.
Except for when I came across the term when reading texts by British authors, this is the first time I've seen the word "dustbin" in years! On these shores (or "shires") folks use the considerably more-mundane "waste basket" or "garbage bag." My American-born Irish ma used no other term than "dust bin" though.

As to the overall effect of your verse, it's a little too lengthy for the ultimately comic effect, although the rhythms are spot-on. The scenario is terrific! The anarchist must've been a real dimbulb not to see the commercial possibilities in a talking cat, enough to drop the politics in favor of a four-legged meal ticket. Then again, the promotion of the feline conversationist may be, as in the following, a disappointment, as show biz invariably can be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvX_TvnBcOU

[dafydd manton]

I thought the line about "bits of Prince" was classic, and whilst I wouldn;t claim any expertise, I thought the length was rather good.

As for Franz Ferdinand, do you realise that WW1 was just a family squabble that got out of hand?

[Bar22do]

What can I add what Aunt has not yet said, or others. Enjoyable poem, with a perfect "tick" and persistent flow that builds the tension and leads to wise conclusions! You have a talent for telling stories! you could hypnotize children as much as adults (well, you did the LitNet'ers...) and make them follow you wherever! - surrendered clay in your hands! - even to a wonderland of your own imagination and making!

Thanks for this brilliant tale.

Bar

[Hawkman]

Astromaxis, thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Dafydd, Thank you sir, you are too kind. I hope you too were not thinking I had exploded the noble Myshkin but thanks also for you defence of the length. I feel it is just as long as it needs to be to say what it needs to say, so thanks again.

Prince, thanks for appreciating my mordant wit. Rest assured that you were not the target of the anarchist, but you should be careful when travelling in horse-drawn vehicles at dead of night in case assassins, who lack the common courtesy to talk to cats, may be lurking in alleys. You’re most welcome, by the way.

Lall, Cats are indeed wonderful but sadly this one lacked the perspicacity to prevent disaster, merely observing and recording for posterity.

J4aLL, thanks for reading the poem and posting your reply, though I’m not sure why it should make you think of ‘The Raven’. But as long as you enjoyed it, I’m happy.

Ah, B/V such insight as always. Your grasp of contemporary culture and it’s quantum leaps into history leave me breathless! Glad you liked it, and thanks for stopping by to tell me so.

hack, thank you so much, glad it tickled you…

Auntie, hello, good evening and welcome. Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts on dustbins! That this humble word should stimulate so flowing a response indicates that it must have touched you deeply. Hollywood has educated me to several variants used in the US: Trashcan, and Ashcan, being but two. I have always associated waste baskets with an internal receptacle for rubbish, usually of small size, but a bag is a bag and in my experience, cats tend to rip holes in their sides to extract the contents rather than sit on them.

Your observations on the anarchist’s appreciation of the commercial potential of talking cats is, of course, accurate, though generally I would not mark it out as the core theme of my poem. But if assassins generally concentrated on a career in show business there would probably be a lot more politicians around to plague us all with their stupidity! Sorry you thought it a little long but thanks for stopping by to share.

And last, but by no means least, Sweet Bar, whose charm and generosity of spirit always brighten my day. I hope you don’t think the perfect tick of my poem is in any way connected to the anarchist’s IED. Wise conclusions? Well they say that anyone can be an idiot but it takes a wise man to be a fool. Hypnotising children to have them follow me about, (how awful). You make me sound like the Pied Piper. Wasn’t there a nasty side to him? I seem to remember that he stole all the children of Hamlin in the end. Rest assured I have no such desire or intent. But as always, thanks for liking my scribbles.

I am immensely grateful that you have all seen fit to grace this post with your attention and comments. To all of you, my heartfelt thanks.

Live long in prosperity and health, my friends, I am humbled by your attention.

Best, H



P.S. Thanks for the link Auntie, a classic Chuck Jones, brilliant.

[Bar22do]

No, no, what I meant was that you can hypnotize anyone but of course to follow only a noble cause! how could you even think I would suspect you of evil inclinations!
yours offended (but mostly sleepy now ),

Good-Night-Bar

[Hawkman]

No, no, what I meant was that you can hypnotize anyone but of course to follow only a noble cause! how could you even think I would suspect you of evil inclinations!
yours offended (but mostly sleepy now ),

Good-Night-Bar

Oh Bar, I was only pulling your leg! Please don't go to your rest offended!

Hawk.

[dafydd manton]

Isn't it funny how you can still detect warmth from the other end of your own country and half way round the world?