The Tomcat And The Lady Skunk
A Tomcat met a civet cat,
and he was smitten just like that.
Her pointed nose, her dainty feet,
when stamping them, she looked so sweet.
Her broad white stripe, her jet black hair,
he vowed to follow anywhere.
So through the fields, hills and hollow,
she would lead and he would follow.
When the male skunks came around,
the cat would hiss, and stand his ground,
and swelling to three times his size,
with spitting mouth and flashing eyes.
Then all her other suitors grinned,
once the tomcat got down wind.
Encountering that awful stench,
the odor gave his heart a wrench.
His eyes rolled back, his tail went stiff.
He dared not take another whiff.
He said, “Lady this has been grand,
but I’ve enjoyed more than I can stand.”
He thought it’s really not so bad,
to want a thing he never had.
Better than forever haunted
by something he never wanted.
Del Gustafson is the author of Bulls, Broncs and Barrooms—a book of Cowboy Poetry, some humorous, some reflective. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YC5C55C
SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
SHARING STORIES is featured on www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type "sharing stories" in the search function above.