Innes was a ginger tom
who never blamed me
for having him snipped.
In fact, it seemed to make him
love me all the more.
He took his name
from a member of the Bonzo
Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Maybe that’s why he behaved
more like a dog than a cat.
Whenever I came home
He would run up the drive,
to meet me, tail erect
like a bumper car’s trolley,
jump onto my shoulder,
curl himself around my neck,
like a purring fox-fur scarf
and begin to drool on my coat.
I loved his unique personality.
To this day I still wonder
whether he missed me
when I left home for good.

---

Tony Dawson, an English writer, has been living in Seville since 1989 and continues to publish widely in the USA, UK and Australia since he took up writing during the pandemic. Many of his poems have been published as three small collections: Afterthoughts ISBN 9788119 228348, published by Cyberwit.net. 2023 and reviewed at: https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/06/london-grip-poetry-review-tony-dawson/
Musings ISBN 97819115 819666, published by Impspired. December 2023 and reviewed at: https://londongrip.co.uk/2023/12/london-grip-poetry-review-tony-dawson-2/
and Reflections in a Dirty Mirror ISBN 9781915819949 also published by Impspired. April 2024 and reviewed at: https://londongrip.co.uk/2024/04/london-grip-poetry-review-tony-dawson-3/