Hattie and Merle often played till past dark
“Hattie,” Merle said “Listen. See? I can bark.”
“Of course you can bark, Merle, because you’re a dog.”
“But Hattie, I’m not. I’m convinced I’m a frog.“
“That’s silly, Merle, and you know it’s not true.
Frogs are green and they’re bumpy. Why just look at you.
You’re brown with white spots, long ears and sad eyes.
No one thinks you’re a frog, and I bet no one tries.
“You can see for yourself that I’m a sleek cat
That flick of my tail, I’ve got that down pat
My fur is quite lovely, it’s all black and white
Yes, it’s true that I'm quite a wonderful sight.”
Merle snickered and sidled up to his friend
“Dear Hattie, I just don’t know where to begin.
You’re pretty to look at, that part is true
But all of my friends just steer clear of you.
“You tail is bushy and you fly it quite high
You scare others off, and I’ll tell you why
You’re not a cat, oh no, that’s bunk
Indeed, Dear Hattie, why you are a skunk!”
Read more articles by Betty Castleberry or search for articles on the same topic or others.
