The Owl and the Pussycat

Back about 30+ years ago, while in elementary school, I was in a play. As most of you know, in order to be in a play, you must be able to memorize some lines (unless you are playing the part of a tree!) I don’t really remember the name of the play or even what part I played in but I do remember what I had to learn when I was part of the group that had to recite a poem. This was not my first play that I was in. Durung the year before, I was in a play titled “Sneaky Fitch.” In that play I had more lines than anybody else as I was the narrator. Out of all the lines that I learned, I remember only one that I had to sing…

“Sneaky Fitch, Sneaky Fitch was a low down yellow son of a …” and then someone would yell out “Prairie dog!”

Now this poem that the group of us had to recite never really made sense to me but never-the-less we had to memorize it and we did. Now what I want to know is, out of all the lines that I ever learned, out of all the poems that I ever recited and out of all the Bible verses that I ever memorized, why was it that the only thing I am unable to get out of my head is that confounded poem we had to recite!

It is not uncommon for my friends and family to roll their eyes and walk out of the room as I break into the poem from way back when… “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear (1812 – 1888).

I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III
'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

So, you can thank your lucky stars that you don't have to hear me recite this poem time and time again. I wish that I could just erase it out of my memory but I can't. I have even tried to a self help group such as Owl and Pussycat Anonymous (OPA) to recover and help forget (don't believe everything I say!Especially the OPA stuff!) but I cannot forget. So, I have finally decided that the only rational thing to do is to accept myself for the way I am and carry this poem with me to the grave!

Wish me luck!

(artwork by Chet Phillips, 2005)