Ditch the ads, upload images and much more - upgrade today from 5.95/month!
Read • Contests • Groups • Learn • Forums • Store • Help
 

The story of ginger

THE STORY OF GINGER

In our family
We were three
My parents and me
Till one day
He came suddenly
As if from nowhere
Nobody knew
Who his parents were
Nor where was his home
My parents were reluctant to accept him
Thought he was a nuisance
But as a companion
He was welcome to me
Chased by mother this compulsive thief
Would hide either under the cot
Or in the attic
He loved to play with me
Hide and seek
In summer
He crouched in a cool place
In winter he sought warmth
He stole into my mother’s quilt
Gradually he supplanted me
From my mother’s lap.

For his coat’s colour
I called him Ginger
Slowly he grew up
And by and by
Became a tiger in a miniature
Grew long whiskers
His growling became guttural
And his prowling more extensive
Beyond the confines of our modest home
He mewed around my mother the whole day
But at night began to go out
Now a shining youth
He seems to have felt
A strange stirring in his blood
He seems to have heard
The call of the wild
And sought adventures
Both amorous and territorial
Invaded others’ territories
Fought pitched battles with his rivals
After each fight
Our hero needed medication and cleaning from me
He had great aversion to being bathed
And he fought wildly with me
I still bear the marks of his desperate claws.

His absence on adventures
Grew in duration
First it was for a day or two
Till at last
He didn’t return in a whole week
Father was asked to find him out
Yesterday I was told
My Ginger has been run over by a car
Now he is beyond all my medication and care.

Our neighbour has a brilliant son
He is a chemical engineer
Working in a private firm in Mumbai
On a fat salary
He was his parents’ old age insurance
He was about to get married
When one day words came
He had lost one leg
In a road accident.

For God’s sake don’t say
I am equating my cat with that young man
For Ginger gave me nothing that money could buy.
------------



Author notes


Written April 10th, 2006

A contest entry

What did you think

    I plan to revise this poem: please leave constructive criticism!
    : , Your review:

    Comment Suggestion: What is your your first impression?
    • Line numbers  • Invite them to read
    : no Cost: 0 free left 0 points, You have (?)

Comments

1 - 15 of 15

  • leeshylou
    January 23
    Edit | Reply
    Thank You for your wonderful entry
    its happy, sad and moving
    good luck in my contest


  • Stormy Days
    January 14

    Edit | Reply
    This is a really happy and sad peace I love cats I have a soft stop for them I also had a cat who got ran over and i think the man is like your cat due to the face that they both got hurt by a car? anyway I dont care good peace well written
    ~GOOD LUCK~
    *Dark Poet*


  • swim.x
    September 13, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    I don't really understand what the relevance of the story about the man was to your cat, but a great poem anyway.
    Congratulations and good luck in the contest.
    Chin up,
    Swim.x
    'His absence on adventures
    Grew in duration'


  • DeadlyTurnip
    March 23, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    This was a sweet poem, but it was very long! Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Thank you for entering.


  • Barefoot poet
    December 20, 2007

    Edit | Reply
    This is a sweet poem but this doesn't fit the contest, it's not personification, human qualities attributed to an object, it's just the story of a cat.


  • Cat gold member
    June 23, 2007
    Edit | Reply
    Sorry, i forgot to disallow prewrites- but that aside this contest is about paper dolls.. not cats.. also- i asked for left aligned and imagery-

    way off on this one.. you can't randomly just dump your poetry in contests to see what sticks.


  • Florida Sunshine
    May 29, 2007
    Edit | Reply
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading your poem~ Keep up the good work~ Good luck to you in the contest!

  • EmeraldDaze
    May 13, 2007

    Edit | Reply
    Aww, how sad, I have two cats and don't know what I'll do when they die. Thank you for entering my contest.

    • karabi
      May 14, 2007
      Edit | Reply
      It will be painful no doubt, but even after their departure they will fill your life with the fragrance of their sweet memories.I am speaking from my own experience.


  • JackJumper silver member
    June 28, 2006
    Edit | Reply

    Message Of Life

    maybe your cat thought home was a dull rut so he ventured and found the wasn't greener. i know that was't the point. the amount of people that have the love for money rather than love for love.


  • Samyuktha P.C.
    May 20, 2006
    Edit | Reply

    AMAZING

    very interesting - have you seen the movie born free - oh and my cat - female - is called ginger - this is so very good - the flow of the story is so good - you may want to try my latest contest - allpoetry.com/Contest/2021901 - glad i read this - love sam

  • karabi
    April 10, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    I am grateful for your sympathy. He was like my son. I love you more now that I know you are partial to such lovely creatures.


  • Anna85
    April 10, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    that is so sad and so moving. I love it! i love the detail, and the momoir style, and the amoralistic ending. an enthralling read... and I'm partial to cat portraits

  • karabi
    April 10, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    Early in the morning when roads are empty cars run at breakneck speed and our Ginger was run over when crossing the road. How helpless he was! Our home is now plunged in gloom. I have no words to express my pain. This horrible accident will haunt me the rest of my life. A few years ago we lost our Lucy. She was like my daughter. The love these two gave us is selfless and it is totally impossible for a human being to give such love. Death of a beloved one is always painful, but it is unbearable if it is unnatural and violent


  • FirstScript
    April 10, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    This is a very interesting.. I was abit surprised when I read about the son... but I can understand... I have a black lab, actually my fiance's, but he's as dear to me as if he were mine... and he truly is mine. I could relate to this poem... I may sound cold... but I place more value over my Rocky's life than over the life of someone whom I know only in passing.

    Wonderful write

1 - 15 of 15