How was I to know?

So here I am, Polly Pat’s Cat,
stretched out in the sun.
I’m in terrible trouble,
didn’t realise what I’d done.

So here I am
in the park
by the lake
How was I to know it was such a Special Cake?

When I licked away the icing,
ate the marzipan and creammmm
How was I to know they’d made it for the Queen?

They didn’t tell me
she was visiting our street
didn’t tell me
she was giving us a treat –
coming to our house for her tea.
What if she’d brought those dogs?
They didn’t ask me

And when they saw what was left
of the Queen’s Special Cake
the look on their face
told me
I’d better make
my exit
and I gotawayfastasalightningflash

So here I am
in the park
by the lake

stretched out in the sun
all the fishermen gone
And see what they’ve left for me!
Queen cakes? You must be joking!
There’s loadsa fresh fish-cakes for my tea.

Copyright: unpublished poem, © Joan Poulson 2010, used by permission of the author

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Although many of Joan’s poems are in free verse, you can hear that they still use strong rhythms. Her similes and metaphors bring the ...

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