I Wandered Queenly As A Cat

I wandered queenly as a cat
That prowls on high o’er roof and wall,
When all at once I saw a fat
And juicy Fluttering Creature fall;
Beside my pond, beneath my trees,
Lolling and flopping in the breeze.

So tempting are the birds that swoop
And come to rest on pole and perch,
The chickens roosting in their coop,
The nightingales atop the church:
But rarely do I have the chance,
To stalk and wiggle, leap and pounce.

And, for so often I have willed
My prey to plummet from the sky;
A feline could not be but thrilled,
With such a tasty morsel by!
I gazed, and pondered on the thought
What wealth the heavn’s to me had brought:

And now, when on my throne I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
I entertain my inward eye
With dreams of snaring my own food;
For I delayed, and, with a song,
The Fluttering Creature soon was gone.