Read Poetry from Animal Magic
MY CINDY
When all the world seemed gloomy
And everything went wrong,
My little dog would come to me
And lick me with her tongue.
She would look at me
With her big, brown eyes, that seemed to say,
I love you, cheer up,
come and have a play.
She grew very old my Cindy,
Her fur was speckled grey
And even though she was going blind,
She still loved her walks each day.
When her legs were too weak to walk,
And her breathing very slow,
I sat loving her and holding her,
Until it was time for her to go.
Iris Tennent, Barnoldswick, Lancashire
MIDNIGHT SHADOW
He haunts the walled garden
He leaves his lounging paw prints
on the garden seat; His coal black hair, sticks
to drops of water on the smooth worn wood
When the moon is full, he makes his shadow
disappear, into the shadows on the well clipped lawn
He rustles through the flowering shrubs
His shadow glides amongst the overhanging leaves
He jumps! and nerveless fingers clatter keys
upon the back door step
Our ghost has found a place, to stay
But hunger drives him out, and one wet day
he raids the kitchen, for a piece of ham
He trades his shadow self
for a fish and two stiff pats upon the head
And now he sleeps his day away
curled on a cushion in the shed
And mowers and spades and muddy forks
vibrate, to dreams of past days, hunting
in the long cool smokey grass
Pat MacKenzie, Glasgow, Scotland
SLEEPING (OR NOT) WITH HONEY
Most mornings, just at five or six
My cat, whose name is Honey
Is nibbling at my twinkle toes
It really isn’t funny
Sometimes, she takes up half the bed
There isn’t room for me
My legs are falling off the edge
She takes priority
I might wake with a heavy weight
A-lying on my tummy
I’m sure this little cat of mine
Thinks I am her mummy
If she sleeps on top o’ the wardrobe
Then, in the middle of the night
She lands on me with a flying leap
That can give one a fright
If I don’t let her sleep with me
She looks so sad all day
About a week, and I give in
And Honey gets her way
Valerie Burch, Hyde, Cheshire
FRASER - HIGHLAND WARRIOR
Everlasting love, is what I give
In return, I ask that I may live
Close beside you and always be
Part of a loving family
Once we were three, but now we are four
A baby boy, whom we adore
His name is Drew and I just know
With collar and lead, through life we will go
Unto him I will give my all
Keep him safe, when strangers call
Be obedient for his mum and dad
Because, they are the best friends
I have ever had
Pauline Harvey, Doncaster, Yorkshire
MAN’S BEST FRIEND
He arrived a lovable bundle of fluff, full of energy and fun,
He chewed the carpet, my slippers, the chair,
Ate it all and left not a crumb!
He carefully tiptoes around the cat, though she’s not bothered at all,
But she always keeps one eye open so as to beat him to the food call.
Everyone is his best friend, other dogs, and the rabbit next door,
He loves his bones, he loves to play, and made a fuss of even more.
He’s certainly one of the family, our little King of the Castle,
But he’s always up to mischief, the cheeky little rascal.
They say a dog is man’s best friend, and that is surely true,
For throughout all his life he’ll stay devoted to you.
So he deserves his daily walks, and whether sunshine, rain or fog,
I’ve got to leave my comfy chair, as it’s time to go walking the dog!
Jan Imeson, Grantham, Lincolnshire
CASPAR
A stray black cat, now Caspar
Came in one Christmas Eve.
Half dead, half starved, so very cold
Yet were his eyes so green and gold!
We nursed him and we fed him
And kept him warm, from harm.
We slowly gave him back his life
And took from him his inward strife.
Nigh sixteen years he lived here
A constant special friend.
He walked the lawns with tail held high
This tail did gravity defy.
He’d walk o’er my wet paintings
And sprawl across my desk,
And knock the pen from out my hand!
Whilst thinking, Here, life is so grand.
So faithfully he loved us
He died within my arms,
He rests beneath the blue sky’s dome
‘Neath Rowenberry tree - now home.
Derek Lane, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
TRACEY’S FAVOURITE HORSE
I love my horse, she is sweet and kind
Whatever I do she won’t mind
If she sees me looking sad
A nuzzle and I feel so glad
To have a horse who cares for me
Makes me feel happy as can be
She doesn’t nap or bite or kick
All you get is a sloppy lick
When we go out to a show
I know that she will have a go
She will do her best, of that no doubt
Soon sort the opposition out
If we don’t win we don’t really care
She is just happy to be there
Let’s go for a hack, she seems to say
It is such a lovely day
Then rugged up warm and put to bed
But what thoughts are in her head?
When we are together it’s heavenly
That’s why I love my Abi.
David Bourne, Mill Hill, London
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AS NATURE INTENDED
Tick tock, tick tock
Ticked the grandfather clock
Whilst the cows in the meadow mooed
The pigs grunted with glee
As they ate greedily
And dogs jumped merrily
The horses grazed peacefully in the fields
As sheep and lambs frolicked and reeled
And contented cats curled up happily
The animals were all glad to be alive
With nature at their side
This was animal magic for me
Joan Kernick, Newton Abbott, Devon
TOFFEE
Toffee was a mongrel
Just a tiny little dog
He was meant to be a poodle
But his mother got lost in a fog
He would bounce up and down
Just like a bouncing ball
He loved his little mistress
And would come straight away at her call
When she took him out
All the people did nothing but stare
But she loved her little dog Toffee
And tried very hard not to care
She bet everyone he would do well
In spite of being a scruff
Peoples’ taunts were very unkind
She really must have had enough
Toffee’s mistress entered him into a competition
For the scruffiest pet
He came out with the first prize ribbon
And his mistress won her bet
Violetta J Ferguson, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
MY WILDLIFE COUNTRY FRIENDS
I have a country cottage
With flowers all around
In the beauty of the Lord God’s nature
With distant scenic views
My friends are the wildlife
Who visit me each day
As I care for them in my own way
The largest to the small
And with the passing of the years
And time for them to go
They share their special resting place
Each with their name upon a cross
Each Sunday, I pay a visit
And say a prayer in silence
With my close friends to give me comfort
And the guidance of my faith
I will care for my companions
Until my ending days
And then I shall rest with peace of mind
In the garden of my loved ones
Jim Carlin, Barnstaple, Devon
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