The Return Of Mr. Purry Poem by Kim Barney

Billsborough's cat was dead and gone
for going on a year,
and then, upon an early dawn,
he once more did appear!

Tom tried to read the newspaper,
but found he wasn't able,
because that cat upon it sat,
right there on the table!

"Mr. Purry! " our Tom exclaimed,
"What are you doing here?
I thought that I had buried you
some time in the past year! "

"Yes, that you did, " the cat explained,
"And gave me cause to weep.
I really wasn't dead, you see;
I only was asleep."

"You always were too quick to judge,
hasty, and all that jive.
Wes Vogler may move mighty slow,
but he is still alive! "

"I dug myself out of that dirt,
but it took quite a while.
I thought I'd best not hang around,
so I went off a mile."

"I've lived this year with old man Jones;
he lives on Walnut Street,
and he's been teaching me to talk;
now don't you think that's neat? "

"Now that I can communicate,
I'll stay with you and Mom,
but please don't use my last name now;
like you, my first name's Tom."