Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

It's Thursday again! Isn't it strange how that happens? Anyway, let's go right on ahead and start with the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, hosted by Angel Sammy and Teddy.

 

Our hosts provide us with a photo prompt each week, in order to help us on our poetic endeavors. This week's image is this gorgeous one here:

Isn't that just lovely? I wish I could say my poem is as lovely as that image, but my rhyme is really just sort of weird and random. But that's nothing new.

I usually like to explain how I got from the image to my poem. This time around, I'm not entirely sure myself. When I saw that image, the first thing that came to my mind was the song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. I decided to look up the lyrics, to see if they could help me on my rhyming journey this week. The first lines of the song—"There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold"—only led me to think of a similar quote from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's quote goes, "All that is gold does not glitter." I don't really know how to explain my poem's progress from there, because at that point I sort of lost control of the situation.

To be honest, I'm not really happy with this poem. It just didn't go in the direction I hoped. But, I didn't know what or how to change it once I was finished. So, whether I like it or not, here it is:

All That Is Gold

Bobo sat amongst the wildflowers,
Watching the clouds above which him towered.
Clouds and more clouds passed by in Bobo's gaze,
Moving to and fro in the sun's bright blaze.

As Bobo observed that white and fluffy world,
He waited to see something fantastic unfurl.
After all, Bobo really was quite bored that day,
And he was even beginning to feel a bit grey.
Luckily, Bobo was never disappointed by the clouds above.
He once even saw a nebulous dog do the jitterbug!

And so he stared up into the sky,
Watching the events of the clouds go by.
Bobo could not wait to see the land of clouds go about its business.
That day, a castle and its king first went by with great swiftness.

Oh, look, there went an elephant!
It was white and puffy and really not all that elegant.
Then Bobo watched a parade of squirrels.
Those cloud rodents were no less wily than those on a forest floor.

Bobo could not believe what then did happen.
In the sky appeared a giant, fluffy, flying dragon!
The beast was formed of the whitest of clouds,
And no other form dared float in like a shroud.

But something about the dragon made Bobo's heart flitter.
After all, something in its midst did gleam and glitter!
In the sun this beautiful mystery shone.
It was ever so bright and sure to be gold.

Bobo remembered the tales he had heard.
Certainly those stories were not all that absurd.
They all told of how dragons guarded their treasure,
And how such gold could only be won by the bold and the clever.

Bobo, for one, was proud of his courage and wits.
That's why, then and there, he decided to act on his grit.
He sure could use some gold, after all,
And so Bobo got to work without stall.

It was to the house of old man Crumpet that Bobo did run,
As he kept an eye on the clouds and the sun.
Crumpet collected none other than balloons,
And they were known to travel as far as the moon.
Bobo pleaded to borrow one just for the day,
And, thank goodness, old man Crumpet did not say nay.

Bobo set out in the direction the dragon traveled in the sky,
Hoping that this balloon would indeed take him that high.
He soon found out that the balloon would do just fine,
When he was as high as the clouds and traveling a speed of ninety-nine.

Bobo checked each and every cloud he passed,
Looking for the dragon and the gold it had surely amassed.
He traversed through a cloud forest,
And through a cloud garden that flourished.
The cloud mountains were a real chore,
For they went on for twelve miles and more.

In the distance Bobo saw some inhabitants of this cloud land,
But none of them belonged to his mission at hand.
There were some owls swooping here and there,
As well as a racing turtle and a hare.

Suddenly, Bobo then found himself stalled,
When his balloon ran into a cloud which in the sky was sprawled.
It took him a moment to identify his blockade,
Before he realized it was a giant white cat napping midday.
"Um, excuse me, but you're in my way!"
That was what Bobo yelled to the fluffy feline.
He did not want to waste even a little bit of time.

The cloudy cat finally awoke,
But only after Bobo gave it a firm poke.
It stretched and purred and stood,
Seemingly as slowly as it could.

Bobo repeated that he really needed to go about his day,
And asked the purring cloud if it could move out of his way.
The cat instead sat down and licked its paw,
Even its tongue was white and fluffy inside of its maw.

Finally, the cloud cat stopped its bathing charade,
And said, "Hello, my name Maeve."
"I'm Bobo. Nice to meet you. Can you please move?"
Of his words the cat did not seem to approve.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked.
Bobo said, "Because I have a very important task!"
"And what task is that?"
"I seek a dragon. Not a cat!"

The cat seemed quite happy with that answer.
She exclaimed, "You must be looking for Dancer!"
Bobo learned that was the dragon's name.
He thought that really, truly quite strange.

When the cat next asked why he sought the dragon,
Bobo told the truth with great passion.
"Dragons are never wanting for treasure.
I wish to fight for gold without measure."

Maeve the fluffy feline's tail twitched this way and that.
She looked a bit like a perturbed cat.
Bobo did not know if she was mad, sad, or neither.
The cloud cat's thoughts he really could not decipher.

Maeve seemed finished with their chat,
For she began to settle in for another nap.
Before she closed her eyes, though,
Where to find the dragon she did let Bobo know.
The beast named Dancer was just a tad bit north,
And so in that direction Bobo went forth.

Finally, in the distance Bobo caught side of the beast.
He decided that with the gold he won he would first have a feast.
Bobo made sure to hide behind a massive cloud hill,
So that he properly surprise the dragon with his skill.

As he sat with his balloon at a distance, though,
Bobo's curiosity began to grow and grow.
He watched the dragon named Dancer from afar,
Thinking that what he saw was almost bizarre.
The dragon really was aptly named,
For dancing clearly was his game.

Dancer the dragon was just then dancing the tango,
But soon after moved right on into the flamenco.
Dancer was not alone, though.
A solo he was not dancing, no.
Surrounding him were all sorts of friendly clouds.
Around Dancer they were forming quite a crowd.

That was when Bobo realized it was more than just that.
Dancer the dragon was now teaching them all how to tap!
Bobo did not even realize that he had drawn nearer,
But clearly his presence had been made much clearer.

Dancer saw Bobo and waved a hello.
The dragon seemed like sort of a nice fellow.
"Welcome, strange friend!"
That was the greeting that to Bobo the dragon did send.

"Would you like to learn how to jive?
It will make you feel really quite alive!"
At first Bobo shook his head and declined.
But before long the joyous dragon had him dancing that jive.

And you know what?
Bobo realized that he really liked to dance and strut!
Dancer was a great teacher, that was for sure.
He taught Bobo that, for a bad mood, dancing was the best cure.

Bobo had soon forgotten why he had even visited the sky.
That is, until something glimmered and caught his eye.
He could not believe what it was that he saw.
It was right there, above Dancer's fluffy left paw.

You see, Dancer wore none other than his heart on his sleeve.
The truth about it, Bobo could not believe.
Bobo now knew what he saw earlier that day from beneath.
It was Dancer's heart that shone bright and bold,
For it was made of glittering gold.
That was a treasure worth a great deal,
But not one that Bobo would ever dare steal.

***

As is always the case on Thursdays, Thimble is now here to show off her cute self.

The problem here, though, is that Thimble had a bit of a case of a photobomber. Do you see that back there?

 

Toby really wanted to be part of the shot. Thimble wasn't quite sure what to think of that.

Despite the photobombing incident, Thimble is very thankful that she got to enjoy even more window whiffies on a warm day. To be honest, she is also thankful for Toby, and for her other furbsibs. Without them, she would have no pals to boss around play with. And it's her gratitude for her fursibs that Thimble is entering into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are also so incredibly grateful for all of you. You friends of ours make us so happy, and we would be lost without you all.

***

Last but not least, below are the phrases for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop challenge. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing crafted up the first two, and I came up with the last two.

1. It is _________.

2. The best part of last week was _________.

3. Every summer, I _________.

4. Once upon a time, _________.

That there is our new badge, created by one of Ellen's wonderfully artistic friends! This artist also created the original badge, when Ellen first began this blog hop with Annie of McGuffy's Reader. Jamie created a new badge, since Annie is taking a blogging break and I am co-hosting the hop with Ellen. I simply adore his adorable artistic style. To visit the artist's website, just click here!

Have a beautiful day, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's summer safety tip is to beware the bugs. A variety of bugs begin to make appearances this time of year. That being said, many of those bugs bring with them their own sorts of danger. For example, some spiders, as we've mentioned before, have bites that are toxic. Bees, wasps, and other similar bugs can sting, and this can prove incredibly dangerous for furbabies with severe allergies to these stings. There are also of course mosquitoes, who can harbor those nasty, dangerous heart worms.

That all being said, keep in mind that many bug sprays can also be toxic to furbabies. Spraying in your yard, or near or inside your home, can be dangerous for this reason. If your furbaby licks or comes into contact with certain pesticides, they could become sick and have serious side effects.

There are ways, though, for you to help keep your furbaby safe from insects. For example, keep any water in your yard fresh and clean, as stagnant water attracts mosquitoes as a place for them to lay eggs. To ward off buzzing bees, try to keep plants that attract them away from areas where your furbaby frequents. When you are somewhere unfamiliar, perhaps steer clear of gardens, not only to keep your furbaby safe from toxic plants, but also from bees that might be hanging around the area. Though not always easy, keeping buggers such as spiders out of your home might be easier if you keep doorways and the like regularly cleaned. Ridding doorways of cobwebs, for example, can lead to less arachnid inhabitants.

It is also worth noting that there are some pet-safe insect repellents on the market. Some products can keep bugs away in a more natural manner, such as by using certain scents to which insects are averse. This being said, though, even some of these more natural products can pose risks for furbabies, such as if they contain dangerous essential oils or other potentially toxic ingredients. For this reason, always read product labels, and discuss any concerns with your veterinarian. What's more, should your furbaby become sick due to an insect bite or sting, or due to ingestion of a pesticide, seek veterinary care immediately.