The Taming of the Shrew-Induction 1.12

I’ll not budge an inch —

Nay, not an inch if you insist on two.

A coward I am not, or a lily of a man.

Still, I could spare six inches,

Perhaps a foot for good cause,

Three feet, the width of a doorway,

The length of a long fence,

A pathway with afternoon shadows,

The span of a bridge over a tame river… 

A neighborhood I’ll budge,

A borough, the whole of London,

The expanse of a Sussex estate,

Unfenced Stratford, a portion of Wales,

The highlands of Scotland.

I have pride, restraint, and a lion’s roar!

I’m determined not to budge an inch,

Unless, little kitty, that inch of my lap belongs to thee.