Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town
July 6, 2023Ash Wednesday
July 6, 2023Aunt Helen
Miss Helen Slingsby was my maiden aunt,
And lived in a small house near a fashionable square
Cared for by servants to the number of four.
Now when she died there was silence in heaven
And silence at her end of the street.
The shutters were drawn and the undertaker wiped his feet–
He was aware that this sort of thing had occurred before.
The dogs were handsomely provided for,
But shortly afterwards the parrot died too.
The Dresden clock continued ticking on the mantelpiece,
And the footman sat upon the dining-table
Holding the second housemaid on his knees–
Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived.
T. S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) was a British-born American poet, playwright, and literary critic. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, and his works, which include "The Waste Land" and "Four Quartets," are known for their innovative use of language and form. Eliot was also a prominent literary critic and played a major role in shaping the Modernist movement.