Noll's Varying Shades

Like a portrait,

formed through increments of

shadow and light,

Noll's shades vary.

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Were he human,

Noll would often find himself in "time out,"

for being garrulous and pouty.

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Then, given a hug for being

As charming as a suitor,

As comical as a clown,

As sensitive as a poet,

As daring as a skydiver.

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He is a complicated cat.

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Though it seems illogical,

Noll's shades blend together perfectly

like the shading strokes of an artist.

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Taken as a whole, Noll is a masterpiece.

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"Portrait of a Woman," a pencil drawing by C. N. Hillman, 1999