poetry: a squirrel on a wobbly stool

A Squirrel On A Wobbly Stool
written by Mark Andrew Allen on December 15, 2008

This is a story, it's true, really it is.
It's about my friend named Bill, and his cat named Liz.
They were once going, a friend told me this, so,
to be starring, in a really, big tv show.

Oh, it was going to be exciting, and a really big deal,
The trucks rolled in, with all that metal and steel,
And make-up, and dressing rooms, and lights, and cameras too,
There were even some tigers on loan, from the city zoo.

There were people doing this, and people doing that,
Talking into walkie-talkies, and wearing funny baseball caps.
All getting ready, for the main act to soon begin,
The time when my friend Bill, you remember him?

It was his turn in front of the camera, for us to all take note,
That he had something special, something to gloat.
Well, it was really his cat named Liz, that was going to impress,
When the cat jumped from his lap, to the woman with the pretty dress.

The cat you see, was really a he.
And was the star on the show, that everyone came to see.
So Liz began to whistle a familiar song, something we all know.
That's when I knew WHY, they were making this picture show.

A cat that can whistle? Sure that's pretty neat.
I can see why all the people, had taken every seat.
This is when it all started, things began to take hold,
I realized right then, talent is nice, it never gets old.

But who needs talent, when you have a cat that sings,
Or horse that laughs, or a pig with a nose ring.
Who needs talent, when you have things like that,
A dog that paints pictures, of long haired cats.

Sure talent is nice, I played the violin once.
It made noises so bad, it sounded like grunts.
My teacher even secretly told me, before a big show,
to please don't let the strings, touch the bow.

I told my family later, what my teacher had said,
Thinking they would get mad, but they laughed instead.
I soon realized, talent can be a fickle thing,
For me it was sounding bad, that gave me my zing!

We all have something special, to offer this world,
A goofy smile, a funny joke, or a flip, and a twirl.
It's up to you, to come up with, what you think is neat and cool.
a whistling cat sure, but ever see a squirrel on a wobbly stool?

Okay now it's your turn. What will it be?
It can cost nothing, be completely free.
An idea, a plan, a story, a strength,
A recipe, a walk, a look, a stance.

It's completely up to you, it's really quite fun.
It all come down to this, so listen before you run.
It's called 'make-believe' for a reason, you must realize this,
You believe in what you make, and you'll never miss.

Then when the trucks roll in, with all that metal and steel,
We will all know, what's the really big deal,
It will be you, with your great gift, for the world to see,
Like planting a seed that turns into a tree.

©2008 Mark Andrew Allen










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