In honor of cats everywhere

The episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that they showed at 0400 this morning is not one of my favorites, except that it starts out with Data doing a reading of some of the poetry that he has written. Here is my favorite:

"Ode to Spot"

Felis catus, is your taxonomic nomenclature

An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature?

Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses

Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations

A singular development of cat communications

That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection

For rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents

You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance

And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion

It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion

Oh, Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display

Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array

And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend

I, nonetheless, consider you a true and valued friend