Bandit Cat (draft)

Don't get distracted by our nervous twitching;
Uneasy waiting,
Shameless judging
Of those who seemed to never care.
We still momentarily pause by the door
As we're passing,
Tap on the glass
And tease the lock for you.
Ventricles melt under pressure
As we realise we're thankful they never cared.
If you were anyone else's you'd have been locked away
Like a one-of-a-kind, treasured toy
With which no one else could play.
A well-oiled wind-up experiment
Of solid gold
Void of inevitable depression
And soul-sucking fate.
You were never quite of this world.
Their lack of caring
Resulted in their sharing you with us.

I hope they've seem what you're worth
As we poise here waiting
Nervously shaking.
I hope they've paid their dues
To fix breakable you
When your unbreakable joy
Wasn't enough to stop you getting hurt.
If, by any chance of fleeting luck,
We'd have been with you when the Fiesta struck
I'd have mended all your broken pieces.
Instead, your breed scribbled on a scrap
And found, by chance.
A shell-shocking reality on the eve of Christmas.
And I hope your family know
If they were stuck,
Cornered or hard-up
I'd have raised the funding
To get you back on your black, bouncing feet -
Standing and running.

But if you never come to us again,
Or we never see you through the layers of life,
We hope you sleep peacefully.
We will still tap the glass and wait for you
And see if you wait for us when the sky lights up.
You'll always be the little wanderer
Who showed us eternal love.
That big, soul-filled hearts
Can be found in the smallest bodies.
You gave us many a-treasured memory
To cherish and smile upon
As the gentle tears of loss
roll down our aching, burning cheeks.

When our heavy hearts fall
If you cannot respond to our calls
From beyond the grave
It will be in that moment we realise
We were blessed to ever know you at all.

The Icing on the Lake

Mr. Arnold Duck was a mallard.

He was a gentle soul, who liked to keep himself to himself.

But one day, when he was swimming in the pond,

he was approached rather rudely by Travis the gazelle.

‘Mr. Duck, you fool! What are you doing?’

yelled Travis at the top of his lungs.

‘We’ve been waiting for you all day!’

(Mr. Duck suspected his emphasis was a little overdone.)

‘Where have you been waiting for me? And why?’

asked Mr. Duck, politely - as he should.

‘We sent you a reminder about this!’ Travis said.

‘Over there, in the woods.’

‘I see,’ replied Mr. Duck, 

still thinking Travis rather brash.

‘And what is this all in aid of?

To what do I owe this... chat?’

‘Mr. Duck!’ Travis said.

He edged closer and began to shake.

‘You shouldn’t be in the water!

You’re entirely made out of cake!’