This poem was commissioned by Bonnie, who requested “A kitchen in a doll’s house with a brown cat.”
I have a kitchen, so tiny and neat:
With small pots and pans it is really complete
But the old-fashioned stove hasn’t got any heat
And the food isn’t anything I want to eat.
It has four wooden chairs where the dolls sit, you see.
They eat make believe cake and drink make believe tea,
And their little brown cat’s always where she should be.
It looks cosy in there, but there’s no room for me.
I have a kitchen that’s messy and bright
Full of brothers and sisters who squabble and fight
Over pizza, till mum shouts “That’s it for the night!
You’ve got school in the morning, so turn off the light!”
There’s a toaster, a microwave, washing machine
A rack where the washing-up dries, when it’s clean
And a black and white cat who can sometimes be mean:
If her food bowl is empty she’s likely to scream!
If you see a picture that’s drawn in a book,
Of a kitchen, you’ll find it will probably look
Like the one in the doll’s house, pans hanging on hooks
It’s more “kitchenny-looking”, except, you can’t cook.
And little brown cat never scratches, or mews
The dolls never chat, so they can’t share their views
Though the little one’s pretty, I’ll tell you some news…
Our loud, messy kitchen’s the one I would choose!
Tom Juniper Poetry 