Ha Ha Ha I’m Benjiji
I live my life with nobility
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You’ll smile when you see me
Vim and vigor, full of glee
Chest hair pointed like a goatee
Swishing white skirt down to the knee
“He’s so soft” you will decree
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I wear a coat colored caramel delight
It glistens, it glows, it steals all the light
I look quite gentle at first sight
Don’t be fooled. I can put up a good fight
I’ll wear you down, circling around long before I bite
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Some say I look chubby, slow to stir
It’s my two layers of fur
Bushy is what I prefer
To stave off winter’s brrr
I’m much too comely to be called a cur
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My hair grows 3 inches beyond my toes
Leaves me nothing to expose
Feet like snowshoes when it snows
It serves me well in the 30 belows
I know of others who have froze
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Ha Ha Ha I’m Benjiji
I’ve overcome adversity
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I was born in the woods out back
In a tumble-down shack
Hunting for food, I soon lost my pack
Coyotes and wolves would have me for a snack
Surviving on my own, I acquired the knack
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Sniffing about like a scent hound
Caching my food for miles around
Using my nails I’d dig the ground
Burying it, my nose gets browned
If times were tough it could be found
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Winter came, outside restaurants I dined
Summer campers fed me bacon rind
People were friendly and kind
But I was always left behind
Till a young boy was so inclined
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A family, a home, fancy that
Although it had a cat who spat
One that I couldn’t get at
She holds a grudge and gets me back
The game was on. Tit for tat
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Hugs and kisses, I found my niche
Except for dog food, dried brown kitsch
Still, when I catch a whiff, my nose starts to twitch
Head buried like an ostrich
Butt in the air at a high pitch
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Ha Ha Ha I’m Benjiji
My life is full of frivolity
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The cat and I took a vow
Conspire together for more chow
I even talk like her now
Deep purr, an annoyed wreow
Nibble her neck she will allow
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Scavenging is my pursuit
Every day with my snoot
Yard littered with the loot
Big bison bone what a beaut
I am a hunter of repute
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I discovered something called a treat
People carry them on the street
Quickly I would run to greet
I’d place both paws on their feet
Unwavering stare till our eyes meet
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Friends come to my window, show their face
Come out, c’mon, time to race
Rabbits and squirrels we will chase
I’m so nosy I can’t keep pace
Time to go home, I find a hiding place
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My game plan is to prowl
Lying low with a scowl
3 warning calls a bouff, a woof, a growl
Never had the urge to howl
I like rolling in anything foul
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In the wild I go all out
Exploring, I am the scout
Hiking, I’ll find the route
Berry picking, I am the lookout
But kayaking I can do without
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Ha Ha Ha I’m Benjiji
I live in a land of infinity
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If you saw this land
You would understand
The views that command
Climate hard to withstand
Survival skills it will demand
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Winter is of long duration
Spring is the season for celebration
We all come out of hibernation
Breakup receives a standing ovation
Listen to the bird migration
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Here the sky puts on a show
Aurora nights dance aglow
Sun dog like a crystal halo
Full moon walks in sparkling snow
Midnight sun hangs on the horizon low
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I’m proud to be Yukon bred
Many adventures still ahead
I’ll roam in the north till I’m dead
And when I’m old, I’ll ride in the sled
Remembering all the trails I have led
Poem identity: Ballad
