Thursday, June 12, 2008

Practical Thursday Part Seven

And it's time for another installment of "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". Mommy doesn't remember this one as well, but she thinks that the Great Rumpuscat may be Pearl's great-great-great-great grand-daddy, since she can put the smack-down on the woofies as well as he does!

(If you don't remember the song either it video is at the end.)

OF THE AWFUL BATTLE
OF THE PEKES AND THE POLLICLES
Together with Some Account
Of the Participation
Of the Pugs and the Poms, and the
Intervention of the Great Rumpuscat


The Pekes and the Pollicles, everyone knows.
Are proud and implacable passionate foes;
It is always the same, wherever one goes.
And the Pugs and the Poms, although most people say
That they do not like fighting, will often display
Every symptom of wanting to join in the fray.
And they
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now on the occasion of which I shall speak
Almost nothing had happened for nearly a week
(And that's a long time for a Pol or a Peke).
The big Police Dog was away from his beat -
I don't know the reason, but most people think
He'd slipped into the Bricklayer's Arms for a drink -
And no one at all was about on the street
When a Peke and a Pollicle happened to meet.
They did not advance, or exactly retreat,
But they glared at each other, and scraped their hind feet,
And started to
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now the Peke, although people may say what they please,
Is no British Dog, but a Heathen Chinese.
And so all the Pekes, when they heard the uproar,
Some came to the window, some came to the door;
There were surely a dozen, more likely a score.
And together they started to grumble and wheeze
In their huffery-snuffery Heathen Chinese.
But a terrible din is what Pollicles like,
For your Pollicle Dog is a dour Yorkshire tyke,
And his braw Scottish cousins are snappers and biters,
And every dog-jack of them notable fighters;
And so they stepped out, with their pipers in order,
Playing When the Blue Bonnets Came Over the Border.
Then the Pugs and the Poms held no longer aloof,
But some from the balcony, some from the roof,
Joined in
To the din
With a
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now when these bold heroes together assembled,
The traffic all stopped, and the Underground trembled,
And some of the neighbors were so much afraid
That they started to ring up the Fire Brigade.
When they suddenly, up from a small basement flat,
Why who should stalk out but the GREAT RUMPUSCAT.
His eyes were like fireballs fearfully blazing,
He gave a great yawn, and his jaws were amazing;
And when he looked out through the bars of the area,
You never saw anything fiercer or hairier.
And what with the glare of his eyes and his yawning,
The Pekes and the Pollicles quickly took warning.
He looked at the sky and he gave a great leap -
And they every last one of them scattered like sheep.

And when the Police Dog returned to his beat,
There wasn't a single one left in the street.


14 comments:

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

Another fabulous poem for "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"! Thanks for sharing the video. :)

MISS PEACH ~(^.^)~ said...

Oh how I love CATS! We were lucky to get to see the show when it came to town! AMAZING!
Gosh I sure had fun here trashing the house last week!
Love Miss Peach

The Furry Kids said...

Titus is not so sure he likes the whapping the dawg part. hee hee

Bert, Momma found some nip plants last night. Do you want to come over and sniff them with me?

Love and whiskie kissies,
Tazo

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

This was terrific thanks for sharing...

Purrs
Abby

Captain Jack and Sir Dante said...

Great poem!! We like it!!

My Beautiful Pearl - our pirate attack yesterday was succesful and Mommy even got to come home early. I know it was because I had the most fearsome Black Pearl at my side. I have a badge on my bloggie to show everyone you are a crew member o the Black Furrball. Come and get it if you want - Love Always, Dante

PS: You can share it with Bert and Jake if you want too.

Tybalt said...

Sometimes a kitty just has to be able to lay down the law for doggies . . . my hat is off to the great Rumpuscat!

Evergreen loves Kilroy said...

Wow, those kitties are really good singers. I try to sing for my mommy sometimes.

I didn't know that there were dogs who barked with British accents! I need to travel more!

Renna the Princess Puppy said...

Super great! We missed CATS here! Momma wanted to see it when it came to town. It was here the weekend the wheely box when crunch. :( Maybe some other time. ~Blows kisses to Jake Queen Snickers

Anonymous said...

Ummm... this was a very neato song! But Mom's not crazy about them calling the Pekes 'Heathen Chinese' - she had Peke's for many, many years before us!

Mickey's Musings said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh,that was neat and the video too !!!! I liked it :)
Purrs Mickey
PeeEss: Bert..... you DO look cool !!!!

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

Some woofies is just silly. Zippy yowls "shut up" to the woofie across da street alla time...he is such a yapper. If mom let her go she'd prolly go whap him one right across his yappy mouth.

JB's Big and Small Worlds said...

Cool poem. Thanks for sharing with us!
--JB

The Furry Fighter said...

ise just wanted to come and say goodbye to you...thank you for being a good friend, sending me words of encouragement, purrs and love...i hope you live a long and happy and healthy life...
your Stormie, The Furry Fighter
xxx

Dr Tweety of da Fab Five said...

Bark???? Yikes... iz dis likes Henry Helton'z new d-a-w-g??? Oh well... I haz some nice frendz dat iz d-a-w-gz, so I guess dis yappin' iz okeedokee.