Each week, our hosts share a photo prompt to guide us as we pen our poems. This week's prompt is this one here:
When I first saw this image, for whatever reason, it gave me a Three Stooges vibe. It just gave off that fun, slaptstick sort of feel to me. I might very well be alone in that thought, but it nevertheless is what spurred me to write the poem I did today. That being said, as seems to happen often, I sort of lost my original thought process as I scribbled up my poem, and it ended up with a mind and ending of its own.
The Tiger Lily
Larry was nothing if not a jester.
He was known to oft tease and pester.
Jokes and tricks were the name of his game,
Ranging from wild to, on occasion, a bit more tame.
Larry's wife could only ever sigh and shake her head,
Never knowing what kind of tomfoolery her husband might spread.
She certainly didn't know what to say,
When Larry declared he was going to be a gardener on one fine day.
"You've never gardened a day in your life."
That was the reply of Larry's baffled wife.
Larry shrugged and tipped his hat.
On his was face was a smile big and fat.
He told his wife, "Just you wait and see.
I have a trick or two up my sleeve."
Larry's wife could not help but roll her eyes.
She told him, "Just make sure nobody dies."
And so Larry skipped off to the shops,
Seeking whatever might make his garden grow and pop.
He grabbed shovels and seeds, and this and that.
He even grabbed himself a new gardening hat.
Arms overflowing with his new hobby's supplies,
Larry aimed to grow one heck of a surprise.
He was shooting for sunflowers 40 feet tall,
And ivy that would climb every nearby wall.
Larry was always one to go big or go home,
And he hoped every single seed he planted would grow.
He planted those sunflowers and of course that ivy,
As well as tiger lilies, though the seeds were really quite pricey.
Each and every day, Larry tended his garden.
He watered it, and then left mud on the carpet.
As his wife waved a finger and scolded him good,
Larry could only shrug where, muddied, he stood.
Perhaps his wife would be a little more forgiving,
Once his garden grew to be unforgettable and award-winning.
"One day," Larry told his wife, "my flowers will be the talk of the town.
My skyscraper sunflowers and ivy walls will surpass even the funniest clown."
Larry continued on with his ways.
Tending his garden, that's how he spent his days.
It was on one fine and sunny morn,
When Larry heard some sort of a groan.
He was pulling weeds away from his sunflowers,
When he heard those groans, moans, and growls.
"What on earth?" was all Larry could say,
As he looked around every which way.
As another grumble sounded,
Larry realized the noise was grounded.
As in, it was coming from the dirt just over there.
At first, Larry could only stare.
You might think Larry was imagining it all,
But then the growling dirt began to shift and fall.
Larry stood with eyes wide and mouth ajar,
Ensuring he stood back plenty far.
As something beneath the dirt continued to snarl and shift,
A wooden sign nearby began to sway and twist.
Suddenly, Larry remembered that the sign was a marker.
Then the truth of the matter began to unfold, in one heck of a blur.
Larry aimed to grow otherworldly sunflowers and ivy,
So much so that he had forgotten something else, so very unwisely.
The wooden sign that had now fallen over all willy-nilly,
It marked where Larry had planted the tiger lilies!
Larry made his way over to the fallen marker of a sign,
Albeit slowly, since the ground still growled in a manner far from benign.
Using the tip of his longest shovel,
Larry began to gently move aside the dirt that still did shuffle.
Suddenly, something orange could be seen in the dirt.
Is that a tiger lily petal? Larry wondered at first.
Surely not, since lilies did not grow underground.
They also, most certainly, did not make those sorts of sounds.
No, it was most certainly not a petal that had emerged.
It was an ear, and it was covered in orange fur!
Then there were two ears, two golden eyes, and whiskers.
Good grief, what had he bought from that seed-selling mister?
The seeds for the tiger lily had been far from cheap.
Was there a reason for that, of which the salesman did not speak?
The dirt in front of Larry was now in piles off to the side,
And in front of him stood none other than an orange cat with stripes.
Larry stuttered, "What? Where? When? How?"
The cat simply replied with, "Meow."
The orange, striped feline shook out its fur,
And then began to lick itself as it did, quite loudly, purr.
Well, Larry's wife always said she wanted a cat.
Apparently he grew her one, and that was that.
***
***
Never knowing what kind of tomfoolery her husband might spread.
She certainly didn't know what to say,
When Larry declared he was going to be a gardener on one fine day.
"You've never gardened a day in your life."
That was the reply of Larry's baffled wife.
Larry shrugged and tipped his hat.
On his was face was a smile big and fat.
He told his wife, "Just you wait and see.
I have a trick or two up my sleeve."
Larry's wife could not help but roll her eyes.
She told him, "Just make sure nobody dies."
And so Larry skipped off to the shops,
Seeking whatever might make his garden grow and pop.
He grabbed shovels and seeds, and this and that.
He even grabbed himself a new gardening hat.
Arms overflowing with his new hobby's supplies,
Larry aimed to grow one heck of a surprise.
He was shooting for sunflowers 40 feet tall,
And ivy that would climb every nearby wall.
Larry was always one to go big or go home,
And he hoped every single seed he planted would grow.
He planted those sunflowers and of course that ivy,
As well as tiger lilies, though the seeds were really quite pricey.
Each and every day, Larry tended his garden.
He watered it, and then left mud on the carpet.
As his wife waved a finger and scolded him good,
Larry could only shrug where, muddied, he stood.
Perhaps his wife would be a little more forgiving,
Once his garden grew to be unforgettable and award-winning.
"One day," Larry told his wife, "my flowers will be the talk of the town.
My skyscraper sunflowers and ivy walls will surpass even the funniest clown."
Larry continued on with his ways.
Tending his garden, that's how he spent his days.
It was on one fine and sunny morn,
When Larry heard some sort of a groan.
He was pulling weeds away from his sunflowers,
When he heard those groans, moans, and growls.
"What on earth?" was all Larry could say,
As he looked around every which way.
As another grumble sounded,
Larry realized the noise was grounded.
As in, it was coming from the dirt just over there.
At first, Larry could only stare.
You might think Larry was imagining it all,
But then the growling dirt began to shift and fall.
Larry stood with eyes wide and mouth ajar,
Ensuring he stood back plenty far.
As something beneath the dirt continued to snarl and shift,
A wooden sign nearby began to sway and twist.
Suddenly, Larry remembered that the sign was a marker.
Then the truth of the matter began to unfold, in one heck of a blur.
Larry aimed to grow otherworldly sunflowers and ivy,
So much so that he had forgotten something else, so very unwisely.
The wooden sign that had now fallen over all willy-nilly,
It marked where Larry had planted the tiger lilies!
Larry made his way over to the fallen marker of a sign,
Albeit slowly, since the ground still growled in a manner far from benign.
Using the tip of his longest shovel,
Larry began to gently move aside the dirt that still did shuffle.
Suddenly, something orange could be seen in the dirt.
Is that a tiger lily petal? Larry wondered at first.
Surely not, since lilies did not grow underground.
They also, most certainly, did not make those sorts of sounds.
No, it was most certainly not a petal that had emerged.
It was an ear, and it was covered in orange fur!
Then there were two ears, two golden eyes, and whiskers.
Good grief, what had he bought from that seed-selling mister?
The seeds for the tiger lily had been far from cheap.
Was there a reason for that, of which the salesman did not speak?
The dirt in front of Larry was now in piles off to the side,
And in front of him stood none other than an orange cat with stripes.
Larry stuttered, "What? Where? When? How?"
The cat simply replied with, "Meow."
The orange, striped feline shook out its fur,
And then began to lick itself as it did, quite loudly, purr.
Well, Larry's wife always said she wanted a cat.
Apparently he grew her one, and that was that.
***
Now, as always, it's time for Thimble and her thankfuls.
Thimble found out that Evan recently showed off his whiskers. So, Thimble wanted to show off hers, and to express how thankful she is for them and all that they do for her.
We're not only thankful for whiskers today, though. We're also thankful that we've been seeing the sun, and having some not-so-freezing days. We're also, of course, thankful for all of you wonderful friends of ours.
***
Last but not least, we have for you the fill-ins statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing crafted up the first two, and I came up with the second two.
1. I believe _________.
2. I need to go Marie Kondo* on my _________.
3. It does no good to _________.
4. I find _________ to be a walk in the park.
(*If you are unfamiliar with Marie Kondo, she is essentially a professional at decluttering.)
We'll see you tomorrow!
***
Our Tip of the Day:
After our tips on offering your kitty fresh water and food, we're now here today to remind you to keep those water and food bowls nice and clean. When it comes to keeping bowls clean, do your best to steer clear of using plastic bowls, as these can most easily harbor bacteria and other microbes, especially in scratches that might be the result of claws or other use and abuse. Rather than plastic, go for bowls that are stainless steel, or even ceramic or glass. Even so, though, it is still important to clean any and all bowls often. Saliva, oils or grease, and other debris from food or the environment can lead to a dirty bowl, so even if you have stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowls, do clean them often. Unclean bowls can lead to issues such as feline acne, or, in worst case scenarios, gastrointestinal or other serious conditions caused by dirty, spoiled remnants in a food or water bowl. So, though we're certain you all already know this, do be sure to keep those food and water bowls spick and span!
10 comments:
That's a fabulous poem and those whiskers are darn impressive sweet Thimble! Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Magnificent! Truly, a tremendous poem! LOVE IT! Brava, brava, BRAVA!!!!
*clapping hands*
Obviously, our next cat must be a tabby, 'cause both The Hubby and I adore them. Think we'll get two!
Those are some mighty fine whiskers Thimble!
That was a wonderful poem! I wish we COULD grow a cat - wouldn't more of us be gardeners?? I think so! This was a fun one and made me giggle a lot. Glad you liked the photo - next week's is a fun one too. Thimble's whiskers look mighty nice - I can see why she wanted to SHARE them today.
Hugs, Pam and Teddy too
What a cute and creative poem!
And pawsome whiskers Thimble!
Oh Tiger Lily is one of our favorites. We had a dog once whose name was Tiger Lily and she was a wonderful dog. Your whiskers look fantastic. And the poem is really good. Have a good day.
Your whiskers are purrfect, Thimble! Boy, some of those poetry pictures are a real challenge! Love what you came up with, as always.
That was so cute and clever :)My hubby gardens- why can't he grow me a kitty? :) I love the drawing too. And Thimble has wonderful whiskers. Great tips too- no plastic here, some get chin breakouts from it. I look forward to your answers tomorrow.
What fun, to grow a mini-tiger for someone!
Thimble has lovely whiskers, quite good for showing off.
That poem was a stunner!
Who would have thought that unner
The ground grew a cat
That came up through all this and that!
They say that Jack once traded fer seeds
For a cow that once had served family needs.
But Larry sure beat Jack a way surely that
Beat that old beanstalk, what's better than Cat?
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