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Buttercups are yellow, or so I've been told
By a clever fellow. I remain unsold.
He'd have me believing all cats are the same.
If he had met my cat, he'd not make that claim.
On a dog day evening, August at the end,
I was but eleven and I had to spend
Hours by the window, as the rain came down.
At the family beach house, I thought I would drown
In my summer cottage - My friends are all in camp
Tantamount to boredom - when the world is damp
And you are eleven and live by the beach
"Do your summer reading!" I hear my Mom beseech.
Thunderclouds erupting, raindrops will not stall
Lightening striking overhead - no relief at all
Dad comes home for dinner, office hours done
His car rolls in the driveway, and he brings the sun
He has made a house call - like they used to do
He looks kind of tired - and wet through and through
He knocks on the window, finger to his lips
One hand with Umbrella - Other near his hips
I ran to the doorway - this is what I saw
In my Father's raincoat - there's a tiny paw
"Robin - here's a present - I've brought you a pet"
Dad hands me a Tabby - she is very wet
And she starts to shiver, while I hug my dad
"Daddy, where'd you get her? Mom will be so mad!
"Don't you worry, Robin, I'll take care of that"
"But Dad, Mom is allergic - she does not like cats"
"Robin - it's your kitten - I found her in the street.
While I tell your mother, make sure that she eats."
So I bring a dish of milk, try to feed the cat
Puss was having none it - hissed and arched her back
I put her in the playroom, but she runs away
Hides behind a sofa, doesn't want to play
So I go to dinner - I am hungry too
Watch my Father stammer - watch my Mother stew
At last my Mom surrenders - "What will you name your pet?"
"I will call her Raindrop - 'cause that is how we met."
When dinnertime is over, I clamber down the hall
And there by an old heater, all curled up in a ball
I see my kitten sleeping - the first of many naps
And when I sit beside her - she crawls up in my lap
And then I whisper Raindrop, my cat begins to purr
And though I am now fifty -two - I always think of her
When Cancer turns to Leo, and temperaments heat up
When some one pours a bowl of milk - or even drinks a cup
And when storms clouds roll toward me, I watch the weather vanes
When Alley Cats come out at night - but mostly when it rains
Her fur was soft and yellow, much like a buttercup
Whenever it starts raining, it lifts my spirits up
Though I could relate the story of how she ran away
I choose this CATegory "How Raindrop Came To Stay"
To he who has the theory that cats are all the same,
You just did not know Raindrop - I gave that cat her name.
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