The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

The Tjuntjun Cat

Listen to Stewart's poem ...
The Tjuntjun cat is a lonely cat,
and possibly,
the only cat
in Tjuntjuntjara.

For Tjuntjun is a dog town.
Not a mog town.
It’s the top dog town
for miles around.
Even the coolest cat
will not be found
upon this doggone red hot ground
they call
Tjuntjuntjara.

Except this cat.

The Tjuntjun cat’s a courageous cat,
a cautious, trepidatious cat.
For it’s disadvantageous
to even be a cat
in Tjuntjuntjara.
In Tjuntjun it’s dogs that rule the roost.
They roam the streets,
play fast and loose
with the lives of any creature,
great or small,
that’s not a dog.

The Tjuntjun cat
must keep its cats eyes peeled.
It’s a battlefield
where every day
you’re a whisker away
from Death by Dog.

But this brave moggie’s
gonna make real sure
it don’t end up
as le plat du jour
at the Desert Dog Café.

No, the Tjuntjun cat
won’t be seen cat-nappin
while the Tjuntjun dogs
are out cat-trappin.
There can be no catnaps
til the cat-flap’s flappin
and the Tjuntjun cat’s
curled up on its cushion,
dreamin' a dream
of revolution
in the alleyway.
When every pet
when every stray
when every cat’s
gonna have its day…
…in Tjuntjuntjara.

About the Writer


Stewart Ennis

Stewart lives in Glasgow. He writes books, plays, stories and poems, and takes quite a lot of photographs. His work has been widely performed and published on a variety of stages and pages. Most recently he wrote Yoyo and the Little Auk for the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra).