Bonnie, Bonnie Burning Bright
Patrols the wilds of her yard
Where frogs and lizards live in fear
And fearsome squirrels must ever guard
They shrink from Clydesdale for her size
Though Bonnie is the faster
Perceiving her as less a threat
Unknowing, court disaster
When Bonnie gives in to the chase
A shining blur of black and white
Yet in the sun stretched eyes half-closed
Seems farthest possible from flight
For Bonnie's vices stem entire
From being fully cat
As clearly all her virtues do
And Clydesdale's too, at that
My Bonnie is my wayward child
My friend belonging not to me
For even purring in my lap
Her tyger soul is wild and free
14Apr99
My nod to William Blake, in the form of an homage to my favorite among his poems.
I have read this poem in public on numerous occasions and it first appeared in print and online in Stash Magazine, St. Petersburg, Florida.