Merret the Ferret ---------------------------- Roses are red, violets are blue This story of love, I must tell you Is not of the kind, that comes to your mind Of lasses and ladies, and brave handsome men Its not of romance, nor fashion nor looks Its so very different, its not in the books Its great and majestic, it begins in Perth Where I chanced upon this creature of earth As one night I walked the silvery roads Of moonlit poetry and warm lilting odes Angelic sounds, musical rings of faraway bells, wafting on winds Chorus of crickets, whisper of leaves Hummed little tunes in the fragrant breeze And then suddenly, I heard with a start A sharp little cry that pierced my heart I looked here and there, up and around Trying to place the source of the sound And it was where the path made a swing I set my eyes on this magical thing It looked up and me, I looked down at it I looked in amazement, at the end of my wit I didn't think ever, I'd see such a bloke With round melting eyes like evening smoke A long silver frame, a beautiful nose Long shiny whiskers, a shapely pose Beckoned me so, its expressive eyes So full of mischief, mystery and spice I stopped and looked, and knew this was right It happened that night, love at first sight It needed no thought, I knew what to do I kneeled and I touched it, frizzled it through Picked up and took it, stole it away And brought it back home, far far away But when I did so, I still didn't know That quiet as it was, that little fellow Would be my best man and counsel for life Better than friends, even my wife So here I begin, no further ado Lo and behold, I present to you Sharp as an arrow, cute as a toy Merret the Ferret, my calendar boy Four years have passed, he's handsome but fat His prance is a waddle, but even at that I spend all my week, hours and days Learning his tricks, imbibing his ways Of filling calendars with clandestine things Keeping me free, giving me wings I'm ever so grateful, he runs all my life Decides when I eat, or speak to my wife Knows how to keep, those people away Who come in with pleas that cause my day To have no siesta, and hamper my joy He drives them away, my calendar boy Now I am free, to do what I might In quiet contentment, jobless delight All I must do is follow injunctions On a calendar that lists all my functions He hangs a new one each day on the wall All I must do is read, that is all! With him in my sight, watching him move Control everything, admiring his groove I watch his back, for hours on end I watch him stretch, I watch him bend Glad that I found him, that night in Perth He's precious, and frankly, of uncharted worth No ferret comes close, no cat and no dog Without him, I tell you, I'd live in a fog He's truly my muse, my pride and my joy Merret the Ferret, my calendar boy ---------------------------- 11 Feb 2018 -- Rita Singh LTI, SCS, and ECE (by courtesy), Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rsingh