The Pet Thief

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inponpinponpin. Grey sky. Bobbing white clotheslines. Allee I run run. Aroooooo howls balcony bouceron. Running I jump huhhhhands grab blue lamppost Legs swing over wood gate Down stone hall I run pitta patta pitta pat Bobbing archway comes Shadows Stone hall wet rough Hands foots push, climb, Hn hn hn hn Rooftop comes I roll, run, pigeons thathathatha Off parapet I fall, catch Rusty drainpipe, my knees gung gung gung. Ooof. Big red bus gasps, steam sighs, Big red bus I chase behind Black platform comes, Metal railing I grab Arms flutter Lordy he came outta nowhere Pinponpinpon Redblue lights byebye. Bus turns, hisses steam Stones jump Pap Pap hands, foots Round corner Green bottle my foot kicks cling cling bottle skips Puddles plouf plouf. Court. Cimetière. Trees. Broke columns. Léglise. Shutter bangs. Cloche rings, Din Dan Don. Din Dan Don. Rain comes. I run. Arms legs toandfro, raincoats, big hats. Shop window, grey cat. Lhôtel. Fountain rain boils. Jardin. Rain drifts under yellow lamp. Oboy. hollers red spark. Yo man. You snuff Swan. Up bricks my foots ch ch ch Lamp hands grab. Lookit im go. He king o the rooftops you know. I hear he clear Boulevard Arago. Windowsill. Drainpipe. Cornice below. Cross rooftop I run, jump, down rooftops, down, down, under black sky, over shivering treetops I run. Wood parapet comes. Darkness below. Across broke rooftop, rusty pipes growl. Off wood parapet, down wet ivy, crumbly bricks I slide. Ivy rattles. Windowsill crumbles, I fall, tear ivy. Ooof. Owie. My breath hurts, chest throat hurt, babum babum babum. My eyes raindrops peck. Ivy wets my hands, my neck. Tree branches rattle above. Miaou. says Dirty Boutin. Eyes bingbing. On my sweater wet Boutin curls. My fingers scratch purring chin. I sing, P Front, petit front, Yeux, petits yeux, Nez de croquant, Bouche dargent, Menton fleuri, Quiriquiqui. My finger Boutin bites. Miaou. says blue Korat, says Little Lulu. Me, you. I say. Cats come prippripprip out darkness, slink slink ivy, cry Faim, faim. Fuzzy wet heads butt my hands, wrists, arms, purr Ron ron ron, cheeks, stiff whiskers rub my fingers, Faim, faim. From my eyes rain cries plouf plouf plouf. Rain rain go away. I roll, hands knees. Foots. Trees, bushes. Arms push. Crumbly steps. Down I skip. Above me, meouing kitty cats prip prip prip. Below, Dollhouse pickets scattered white on stones. Wire fence. Wire fence traps Tumbled rocks wood bricks plaster metal stones. Yellow lobster sleeps beside big metal can. Big metal can hums. Window bright. Dollhouse byebye. Wire fence I stalk sidetoside. Links my fingers grab. Links I shake shakka shakka, water drops fly. Rattling fence I climb, links hurt fingers, tootsies. Miaou. Tssst. Over fence I jump, ground hits foots. Concrete hunks. Splintered wood. Twisted nails. Broke glass. Plywood scrap. Black strap. My hands pull up muddy black haversack. Metal can door squeaks. Light shines. Roosters, lobsters, in mud behind. Yellow hat comes. Flashlight. Koennen Sie nichtlessen.Eintrittverboten.DiePolizei.Verschwinde. Black haversack I put over my shoulder. Clonk clonk wood steps yellow hat comes. I turn, jump, climb rattling fence, Hep Yellow hat runs, jingling, My legs spin over fence, black haversack falls Bang fence rattles behind. Cats crouch. I see you here again. I hiss. Haversack I take, I run. Cat eyes bingbing, blackwhiteorangegrey legs run beside. Allee. Courtyard. Bench. Streetlamp, running. Arms legs tables chairs under striped awnings. Smoke. Clink, clink. Boulevard. Dingdingding goes steamy streetcar. Léglise. Lhôtel. Courtyard broke carts chairs. Black sky. Little stone dresses sigh. My pantlegs cats rub. Mew. Miaou. Faim. Lintel, bricks, windowsill I climb. Non, non. say cats, red mouths wide. Black haversack bumps my back, climbing. Juliet balconies up up up, fallen planter box dripdripdrip. I shiver. Ledge hands take. Pigeons flutter, hop, coo. Moped zoum zoum. Past rooftops, canal. Little white little red car lights little horns beebeebee cross pont, cross quai. Rain shines. Tour is bright. Whitegreenred stars below. Darkness below. Dollhouse. Tonight, beautiful is city. Dies it, however. Again beautiful, be will, city. On ledge between stone legs I sit. Pigeons march, strut, ooorrhh, ooorrhh. Hello. Gargoils say. Black haversack falls paff beside me. Rain hisses. I hunch, pull sweater sleeves, hide my hands. Frightened are you. Matter is what. Cat eyes in doorways bingbing. Stars shine below. Across black sky, little red light blinks. Safe is cache. Cold are you. Come. Stone legs...