Everyone wants a Panama hat.
But nobody loves a Panama cat.
Would Dr. Doolittle ever dare
To place one under his medical care?
He never could find a nice Tabby to love,
Or even a Shabby to make a good glove.
No two would ever make a match,
And even for one he would need a big patch!
They pace in the sewers like Jean Val jean
And never have a collar on.
They go to places where we'd never meet,
And somewhere near evening they come out to eat.
They won’t look in your eye; they don’t give a mew.
There’s plenty of garbage - there’s no reason to.
On top of the ground we stand far apart
From the world of beauty in an alley cat’s heart.
The path they take goes everywhere,
Both North and South, to a special lair,
And East and West, and back again
To a noisy meeting with a special friend.
The Commander’s cat from old Albrook,
And the one that ran from the Chinese cook,
There’s One-Eyed-Sam from Portobelo.
He is the one that they painted yellow.
They all go back to the early days,
When they came from one place, and there weren’t any strays.
The need for friendship invariably brings
A nightly trip to the center of things;
To the tunnels and mains where things drain from above,
Reeking, and seeking renewal of love,
A change in behavior, and the vesting of youth,
A testing of duty, and awareness of truth.
The message that comes from such a searching of hearts
Is a stopping of stops, and a starting of starts.
A step upside out and a walk inside down -
That is the tale of a cat in this town.
Author notes
This is a poem about the tragic plight of the feral cats of Panama City in the Republic of Panama. I have learned that recently, Panama has implemented a very successful program of free sterilization of these cats and of a plan of care for those who are placed back into the wild.
A contest entry
- Animal Lover's Contest - in honor of Debilynn! by kareneisenlord.
900 points, ended March 20, 2008, 33 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - A Voice for the Voiceless by Raven Tears.
800 points, ended April 7, 2008, 23 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Nature, Life, Stories, etc, Lots Of Catagories! 5 Entries, EACH!!! by Daisy Ballerina.
1076 points, ended January 6, 39 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 39 of 39
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I love this beautiful poem....
Thank you for entering! -
Very intriguing cats but it doesn't sound like their plight is very tragic!
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I think I read this great write before, but nonetheless I re-read it and found it all the more interesting.
Goodluck to you.
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it awesome!
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You told the story of an alley cat's life well, it's very sad to see many cats living this way because careless owners won't get their cat's desexed.
But anywho, well done with this clever write, goodluck in the contest, thanks for taking part in it.
Love and Light. -
Thought provoking
Although you are talking about feral cats in Panama, this reminds me of the alley cats in Brooklyn NY where I grew up. They would shun people and try to live on their own. Their cat cities were everywhere.
Here in CT, we have similar problems but no one seems to want to help. I adopted two feral kitties a few years ago. It was so sad. They were beautiful animals but never would get close to me or anyone in my household. One died of an infectious disease common to feral cats and the other just ran away and never came back.
This is so sad. Thank you for your fine entry in Deb's honor. -
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If it can create a cheerful note: We brought one of the feral cats home with us from Panama. It was young enough to adjust. It now talks texan and thinks it is one of our dogs. It has the name "Entonces," which translates as "And then." It is one happy little lady.
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I am so glad that your adoption worked. The two sisters I adopted were a little over one year old and had been fending for themselves for most of their short lives. I hear that if you can domesticate a feral cat, that they make the most loving and faithful cat companions. God bless you for saving Entones.
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This is very clever - you painted quite a unique picture of an alley cat's life here. I liked all of it, particularly these parts;
"The path they take goes everywhere,
Both North and South, to a special lair,
And East and West, and back again
To a noisy meeting with a special friend."
I like how this stanza pointed out that sometimes they end up as meat in human food, especially in other countries;
"The Commander’s cat from old Albrook,
And the one that ran from the Chinese cook,"
What a cute way of putting their upside down life as. If I didn't know better, I almost envy it. They lead such miserable lives;
"The message that comes from such a searching of hearts
Is a stopping of stops, and a starting of starts.
A step upside out and a walk inside down -
That is the tale of a cat in this town."
Thank you for entering this poem in the contest and for giving us a glimpse into the life of an alley cat; a very clever view at that!
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This was written about the 3rd world, and you are right. There is a purpose and a dignity that is stressed in this poem, irregardless of their hardship. Panama has made vast improvements in its treatment of feral cats since this poem was written. In a poor country there are many other mouths to feed first, but there is a concern about animal neglect that has resulted in a very forward looking national program to control growth and to improve the quality of their lives.
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hahahaha this was awesome...I totally got this..
It's very clever[its already been said already]
Plus the cat is very cute
I love the lines :
"Everyone wants a Panama hat.
But nobody loves a Panama cat.
Would Dr. Doolittle ever dare
To place one under his medical care?"
Very clever and witty...I think this is a metaphor for third world countries...I might be way off...But if not I loved it anyway
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A poem to take notice!
LOL... this cat is a beauty and looks so smug!
Your poem is delightful and I loved reading it! 
All images... every line is filled with description and adventure! 
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Everyone wants a Panama hat.
But nobody loves a Panama cat.
Would Dr. Doolittle ever dare
To place one under his medical care?
He never could find a nice Tabby to love,
Or even a Shabby to make a good glove.
No two would ever make a match,
And even for one he would need a big patch!
GEEZ i could not stop laughing this was hilarious
it was very fun to read!
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Great!
A fun read. I like how hit began lightly and picked up metaphorical force towards the end. All up: subtle, witty, enjoyable.
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this is really fun to read. I'm bookmarking it and putting you on my favs. I have 3 cats...one looks like a panther. I keep a bell on him because he stalks my wild birds. Today he was sitting on their feeder LOL.
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so crative! i luv it!!
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This was a funny write..I love that picture. It's so very cute. Thank you for smile this morning.
Kari -
cute fun write, and very sweet kitty in the picture keep up the good work and thank you for sharing this fun write with us.. i am sure glad that there are not a matching pair i woul dhate to see kitty gloves on sale in the shop windoes
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A cute poem, as others have already well said.
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How clever!!! and that cat in the picture looks like my Calvin Kitty. Imagine my surprise when I saw that. And I too love cats! They are about the most perfect pet on this earth! Keep that pen flowing!!!!!!!!
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The cat in the photo is a feral cat from Panama that we took in and brought home. It has adapted well but is extremely self reliant.
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I would repeat what Cannonsfire said "it is a clever poem"...
To quote the best part
"The message that comes from such a searching of hearts
Is a stopping of stops, and a starting of starts.
A step upside out and a walk inside down -
That is the tale of a cat in this town. "
D -
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This poem was harder than it looks. I felt so sorry for these poor creatures. Since this time I have learned that Panama has developed a wonderful program to care for these cats and at the same time protect their exotic bird life.
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hm, this made me think. I mean, originality here is at the maximum n_n I really enjoyed this poem, and I think you wrote it the way this poem should be for sure!, keep on writing good poetry. I likes the beggining a lot n_n : "Everyone wants a Panama hat.
But nobody loves a Panama cat." hehe
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This is a clever poem and I love cats so the thought of ones left in the alley's breaks my heart but mine I rescued from this fate and now he owns my heart, my house and my wallet!! I do so adore him.
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We adopted the cat that is shown in the picture-a gray tiger cat with the tip of its ear missing. We brought it home from Panama, and from its little den out on the streets. It now is queen of the neighborhood here in Austin, Texas. Thanks for noticing my poem.
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VERY CUTE
I really enjoyed reading this it is feeled with truth cats are in their own little world and if you are lucky they might let you in for a little while.
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Thank you so much for the encouragement.
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wow
I love this, it is lighthearted and cute. And yet it really catches the life of an alley cat in such a wonderful way.
"They won’t look in your eye; they don’t give a mew."
exactly!! In fact this is most cats, but especially an alley cat, good job on this one, I loved it!!
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Thanks. I was intrigued with the life of cats in the Republic of Panama. They are at the bottom of the social picture and have a dreadful existence. We adopted the cat in the photo and brought it back to the United States. It is doing great.
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The cat in the photo was a stray feral cat in Panama. My wife brought it home when it was about six months old. We had it for three years and then brought it back to Austin, Texas. It lives with a German Shepherd and a mut and it runs the neighborhood. Thank you.
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bravo!i love it.keep up the brilliant work.
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Thanks. We finally decided to adopt a Panama stray and take it home with us. It now lives in Austin, Texas with two dogs. It owns the neighborhood.
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Wow. This is a pretty cool little piece that you have going on here. I like it! What a great little story poem about the life of stray alley cats. Gives it a very nomad feel. Or a life of freedom and truth. I like how you leave them to be gritty and real but not without a place of affection. I don't know if that makes any sense. But I did enjoy this. You did a good job of it!
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i happen to love cats and strays break my heart
but i love this poem because you make it sound as if they're having a good ole time
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How can anyone not like this cat poem? Good rhyme and quite the story you tell of this one cat. Think you have two double spaces in line 19.
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a nice light piece of poetry which you have written here, an enjoyable poem, good flow to it. thank you for sharing your poetic piece with us. spill ink and twist me into the crazy shape of love...
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great poem of a lovely cat ..great job.. Linda
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I really like this cat tale. It was so cute. Keep up the awesome poetry!!! I will re-read this poem when judging begins.
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