Follow The Cat!
He’s there in my garden, he beckons me on,
the cat with the oh, so wide grin;
I’m outside and running and chasing his tail,
an adventure is sure to begin.
“Hang on now, Cheshire, let me catch up,”
I shout as he reaches his goal;
now I can see it, I make like a rabbit
and dash straight inside that big hole.
Back now in Wonderland, what a delight,
so bright that my senses do spin,
I’ll take a deep breath, get ready my mind
for the craziness hidden within.
The flowers they giggle and gossip away,
I’m amused by their incessant chatter,
but here I can’t linger, I follow the Cat
as he leads me straight to the Mad Hatter.
“Good morning, good morning. It’s such a good night,”
he laughs as I dash in to view.
“The March Hare and I are having some tea
but we’ve space for a guest such as you!”
The lid it lifts up while the tea is poured out,
“Who is that, who's moving my house?”
For this teapot is home for one that is small,
say, ‘Hello’ to the Sleepy Dormouse.
They chatter away, sipping this, chewing that,
and pure nonsense is what they do spout;
but the clues will be there if I listen for them,
the problem I’m soon to find out.
The Queen’s not herself, she’s become somewhat ill,
she is acting like she is a pauper;
dressing in rags, her wealth tossed away,
not behaving like royalty oughta!
The pavement does sparkle with glittering jewels
that lay there amidst so much gold.
I gather them up as I walk along but
there’s too much for my small hands to hold.
And there is the Palace, it’s looking so dark,
I’d not thought that it could appear gloomy;
the King’s not in sight but there is the Queen,
looking really ‘disaster and doom’y.
Never a beauty, she’s looking so old,
all unwashed and wrinkled and creased;
I put down the jewels, study her face,
I’ll stay here ‘til the problem has ceased.
There is a glass, a drink it does hold,
it resonates with a slight hum;
I know who’s behind this, the guilty pair,
twins Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
I put out the word and the guards gather round,
they will go out and find the accused;
they’ll bring them straight back here, rapidly quick,
for they are Guards and will not be refused.
The two boys look shifty, lower their heads,
mumble ‘Sorry’, confess to their guilt;
the Queen, so enraged, shouts, “Off with their heads!”
and Wonderland then starts to tilt.
The furniture’s moving, we all start to stumble,
things rattle and crash to the floor;
the whole world’s rebelling against the Queen’s wrath,
an idea pops up – I’m not sure.
“A more fitting punishment, Queen, if I may,
is to set these two some sort of task.”
“And what, pray, is that?” She gives me a scowl,
back to wearing her so regal mask.
“Send them to pick up all of your jewels,
all your valuables, all of your gold.
You’ve plenty of soldiers to keep a good watch
and make certain they do as they’re told.”
Tweedle Dee looks astounded – to be made to work,
Perhaps he would rather be dead?
Tweedle Dum shrugs his shoulders, resigned to his fate,
for he’s rather attached to his head.
A party is called for, the Queen’s now herself,
the King’s back from where he was hiding;
I’m happy to say that I stayed for a while,
having fun while my time I was biding.
But here now is Cheshire, he’s taking me home,
I’ll leave with a smile and a wink;
the crazy kaleidoscope pulls me along
and I’m back home as soon as I blink.
Am I now sad? Well, yes, in a way
but I know that some time I’ll go back;
for as mad as it is, as crazy insane,
I’ll be called on to get it on track!
Submitted: July 17, 2017
© Copyright 2021 hullabaloo22. All rights reserved.
Comments
Lewis Carrol would be proud, Hully! An elegantly written, charming story-poem. I have one very, very serious criticism, though: Mad Hatter and the Dormouse are supposed to be having tea with March Hare, NOT with White Rabbit :-)
Mon, July 17th, 2017 5:46pm'Back down the rabbit hole, to Alice's house we go!' An excellent poem, Hully!
Mon, July 17th, 2017 7:01pm'Back down the rabbit hole, to Alice's house we go!' An excellent poem, Hully!
Mon, July 17th, 2017 7:01pmI knew I would find something of yours here today. Do you write a new one every day or have you got a box full of them already written? You don't have to answer that. I am just being nosy. This story, of course, is a poem. I am not a big fan for flowery free style poetry, but this one has rhythm, it rhymes and it is funny. I love it! ~ Joe
Mon, July 17th, 2017 10:51pm
Author
Reply
Thanks for reading this, Joe. It was a choice between posting as poetry (a bit too long), or short story even though it was written poetically. I'm really glad you enjoyed it -- the vast majority of my poems are written in a similar, with just the odd exception.
And no, I don't have a stock of writing although occasionally, I write one and keep it for a day or two. Since I joined Booksie in April 2016, I have written every day. To be honest, I'd be scared not to now, in case I never got back to it! I've started working on a book, right now, 'Flyder', but I'll still be writing short stories and poems most days.
This is pure genius! A couple of little hiccups you would see in a quick read, but by & large, one of the best poems I've read on Booksie! Congratulations!
Tue, July 18th, 2017 11:06pmThis was a cool idea, Hulz. More stories need to be condensed into witty poems like this. Keep rhyming those words up!
Wed, July 19th, 2017 5:38pmI love this! wow! As I read it, I was imagining actually being in the story! Amazing!
Thu, July 20th, 2017 8:17pmThis is pretty good!
I liked the idea of making this story as a poem and your way of writing is great
KEEP IT UP
~ sW 12 ~
This is an amazing poetically written short story, and a great addition to your growing collection of Wonderland poems and stories:)
Sat, July 22nd, 2017 7:13amI know how you feel. There is just something compelling about Alice in Wonderland. I myself keep wandering down the Rabbit hole. I love that we're chasing Chess this time, lol. Super fun and engaging. Argh, I love your writing, lol!
Mon, July 24th, 2017 3:41pmI love this! It feels canon, like it came from Carroll's book. Very well done, classic poem.
Thu, August 3rd, 2017 2:17amA nice poem, well written with great visuals.
Fri, August 4th, 2017 8:06pmjust read this what a great tribute and take on the classic story !
Sat, August 12th, 2017 12:38pmI loved the topic you chose to write about. I truly enjoyed reading it and thought it was very well written.
Mon, August 14th, 2017 6:02amWow! Loved it! I love how you are able to write a full blown poem while telling a compelling story. Nicely done!!
Sat, August 26th, 2017 10:01pmThis is an awesome piece! I love how you tell a story in such a whimsy poem. You've done a great job at combining short story and poetry! This very much feels like it was written in the nineteenth century - the stanza about Tweedle Dee not wanting to work and Tweedle Dum attached to his head is my favourite and very much has that humorous, bouncy quality of a nineteenth century children's rhyme. The wording is so good.
I also like the phrase 'disaster and doom'y. A clever bit.
You bring back all the classic characters in a wonderful way and add a new dimension to Wonderland; rebelling against the Queen's sentence.
This was a fun read! I always enjoy stories about Alice and her many adventures in Wonderland, and you've crafted a delightful one here!
this is a great poem/story.
Tue, October 24th, 2017 11:53pmI love the "hopping" rhythm the poem takes on; the feel of it resonates with the quirky madness associated with Wonderland! (aka, great job!)
Mon, January 8th, 2018 8:34pmDelightful imagination! Thanks for posting this writing. I enjoyed it. Daniel
Wed, February 14th, 2018 3:07pmFacebook Comments
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jaylisbeth
I love how you structured this story in a poem. Love your imagination!
Mon, July 17th, 2017 5:22pmAuthor
Reply
Thanks for reading, jaylisbeth!
Mon, July 17th, 2017 10:24am