The Cat by Leighton B Watts

The Cat

I was talking to this jerky bloke, his movements sharp and quick
He couldn't look you in the eye, he had a twitchy tic
He was telling me this story, a little bigger than the truth
Of a natural event occurring to his pet, back in his youth

Now it seems the family had a cat, Mihitabel by name
That weighed about a hundred pounds and breathed out smoke and flame
It's eyes would smoulder in the dark like brimstone burning bright
And, where it trod, the earth would shake and stillness set the night

Its hair, or fur, like barbed-wire strands, would strip the bushes bare
And in amongst the rocks and crags, it made its hellish lair
But this cat was born both small and cute, all dewy eyes and fur
Though a series of events took place to make this change occur

Well, it seems the Dad, or William, had headaches on and off
And sometimes he's have fits and such and jerk and writhe and froth
So one day, in mid-July, a white van appeared outside
And two young men, all muscle-bound, strapped William there inside

And off they went, with sirens wail, to a high-walled place with gates
And chains and padlocks on the doors and 'Don't Release By' dates
But, unbeknownst to all around, Mihitabel, the cat
Had snuggled down in William's coat, in his pocket, 'neath his hat

The doctor came with horse syringe of chemicals and cures
But, when he stuck the needle in, he missed... and a frightening thing occurred
A small brown cat with flaming eyes came leaping from his pocket
Straight through the door and down the road... it took off like a rocket

And, to this day, Mihitabel, a changed and surly beast
Haunts the bushes 'round that hospital and takes the occasional feast
Of a doctor here, or there a nurse... any uniform's fair game
For, with their starchy clothes and needles bright, it's them he holds to blame

"So never pass that hospital", this bloke tells me, "in a uniform 'fore dawn
'Cos he'll eat you up... and use you to fertilise the lawn."

-Leighton B Watts -

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