Matt Black on Edward Lear's poem 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' and his own poem 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and the Turtles of Fun'
In this episode I talk to Matt Black about writing his own versions of 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' by Edward Lear.
Matt reflects on when he first heard 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' as a child. He then goes on to talk in depth about the task of creating a homage to this 'iconic' piece of work. He discusses the intricacies of the poem - how it uses all sorts of different techniques to make it a memorable piece of work. He throws about the idea of what it means to be a nonsense poem. He reflects on the notion of using landscape as a safe space to explore possibly difficult themes. He talks a little bit about Lear's background and what possibly brought him to write this enigmatic poem.
He then goes on to delve into his own prequel and sequel - grouped together as 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and the Turtles of Fun'. He talks about the triggering incident that led to him taking on such a task (an encounter with a stuffed owl in a museum's store). He reflects on how in the two different versions of 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat' he has written the first narrative must lead up to the boat (of the original poem) but the second poem is 'un-moored' from the route-map of the classic work. He can explore all sorts of complicated themes - the break-up of a marriage, infidelity and so on, but still create it within the framework of a 'children's' poem. He reflects on the qualities of the poetic language itself and the references in the poem to Brid, other animals, and pop references too. Finally, he talks about performing the work in schools - a 'nonsense poem for a nonsense curriculum'.
Matt Black lives in Leamington Spa. His most recent collection is Fishing Dentures Out of Mashed Potato (Upside Down, 2025) which includes poems on various themes, including getting older, looking after elderly parents, the joys of domesticity, lanyards, dogs and knees. This is a fund-raiser for Myton Hospices - £5 per copy - and he is currently available for entertaining readings from the book. Since being Derbyshire Poet Laureate (2011-2013), he has successfully completed over 25 commissions, with poems on 15 benches, 20 milestones, a large glass panel and in exhibitions and publications. Other recent works include a collection of poems about dogs, Sniffing Lamp-posts by Moonlight (2017), which became an Edinburgh Fringe show, and the tour of his play about floods in Cumbria, The Storm Officer. He is currently Lillington Poet Laureate, Chair of Cubbington and Lillington Environmental Action Now (CLEAN), and a very proud grand-dad. www.matt-black.co.uk
Copies of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and the Turtles of Fun can be purchased here.
You can follow me on X - @cwjoneschris or on Bluesky - @cwjoneschris.bsky.social for more updates on future episodes. This is the last podcast of series two. Look out for updates about series three later in 2025.
Thanks for listening!
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (the Prequel)
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went for tea
With a parakeet in the park.
Owl said politely, “It doesn’t delight me,
This hunting of mice after dark.”
The Cat said “Life in the city is mean;
We’re squibbling youth away.
Let’s go to the sea. Let’s quit this mad scene.”
So they cycled to Brid for the day,
The day,
The day,
So they cycled to Brid for the day.
On arrival in Brid, they met a great squid
With a sailor who told them a tale
Of a mermaid and man, who had met in Japan,
And lived in the mouth of a whale.
“I like it here,” said Owl on the pier,
While the Cat, with a grin, went “Miao”.
They stayed for a week. They played hide and seek,
And the Owl jumped over a cow,
A cow,
A cow,
And the Owl jumped over a cow.
The waves, they were lapping, blue butterflies flapping,
“O guys, you should stay for a while.
We’ve striped candyflosses, and rides on the hosses.
It’s wicked whatever your style.”
Said Cat, “Life’s absurd. Let us sail, dear Bird,
To the land where the Bong-tree gleams.”
In his crocodile coat, Sailor lent them a boat,
And said “Steer by the star of your dreams,
Your dreams,
Your dreams.”
He said “Steer by the star of your dreams.”
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”
Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (the Sequel)
The Owl and the Pussy-cat lived the dream
For a year and a half at least.
They built a chalet, and pranced in a ballet
On the beach with the Jumbly Beast.
Till Pussy-cat met the Turtles of Fun,
Left Owl by the frumious foam,
Who sat in the sun, cried “What have I done?
O and why did I leave my sweet home,
Sweet home,
Sweet home?
O and why did I leave my sweet home?”
Now six months have gone, and Owl’s signing on;
Cat lives with a turtle called Ted.
In the Bong-tree bazaar, Owl strums his guitar,
Singing “Pussy, my marriage is dead.”
But Cat, in surprise, says “Owl, do be wise,
For love is a runcible fruit.”
In only two years, Owl turned all his tears
To tunes with a dog on the flute,
The flute,
The flute,
To tunes with a dog on the flute.
The whiskery walrus and octopus chorus
Heard songs, like the Dong’s, on the sand.
“Your tunes are so beautiful, groovy and hootable!”
Begged Walrus, “O please join our band.”
Owl pondered and said, “Yes, but only if Ted
Can play drums and the didgeridoo.”
They made Number One, with the Turtles of Fun,
Singing “Life is a crazy canoe,
Canoe,
Canoe,”
Singing “Life is a crazy canoe.”
Ireland