The Duke and I - The Sequel

Ten years ago at the Golden Jubilee of the Lord's Taverners I did a poem, entitled "The Duke and I", gently teasing the Duke of Edinburgh for never recognising me. You can read it on this site. Now ten years on I was back at St James's Palace for the Diamond Jubilee where I produced another. At the end of the evening the Duke responded and, rejecting "the Cat's" request for a lift home, produced a one verse poem for "Cat Bevan" which stated that his cab was too small and that there was not enough room to swing a cat!

Incidentally you will note, if you read both, I repeated one of the verses from the original poem.

THE DUKE AND I - THE SEQUEL

After that poem you'd have thought with his power
He might have sent me to the Tower
Well you could not be more wrong
We still get along
In fact our friendship has started to flower

Our shoulders we frequently rub
He's invited me up to his club
And it goes further than that
He now calls me "Cat"
When we slip down to the pub

I'll bet all this you're starting to disparage
My saying more you might wish to discourage
But we're almost never apart
When he drives that horse and cart
That's me next to him up on the carriage

This friendship could run and run
We often like to have fun
One day I said without malice
I've got my own Palace
Last week we beat Tranmere 2-1

One more thing I have to relate
At his Palace I don't get stopped at the gate
The policeman's smile is quite thin
When he says "let him in
That's the Duke of Edinburgh's mate"

Now I see your faces filling with care
You're thinking Cat you must now beware
You're right. It's not what it seems
This is all in my dreams
And for the Duke the thought must be a nightmare

But we all know he does like a joke
When he's out and about meeting folk
Sometimes the press aren't very nice
But he's just breaking the ice
Everyone I know thinks he's a good bloke

A Greek friend last week I had to rebuke
I said "his popularity isn't a fluke
And while we might well give in
On the Marbles of Elgin
We'd like to hang on to the Duke"

We know with us he's got a strong bond
Of him each Taverner is very fond
He's been here since the start
So I say from my South London heart
For us he's been a real Diamond

In ten years' time the Tavs will have grown
There'll be no poem to make you all moan
Let's face the truth
We're all getting long in the tooth
The Duke could be here on his own

Well I'd better stop now I suppose
And resume my seat to repose
I recall a saying quite droll
Life's like a toilet roll
The nearer the end the faster it goes

This is the last verse so don't fret
This advice to you all I direct
I don't mean to be rude
But keep away from organic food
We need all the preservatives we can get