Fun fact: Many cats have been immortalized by famous poets, such as John Keats and William Wordsworth.
’Twas four weeks before Christmas and all through our house
Not a creature was stirring, except for my spouse.
The wall had been hung, standing sturdy as steel;
It was time to rejoice with a good hearty meal.
With Dad in his flannels, feeling rightly complete,
We all settled in for something to eat.
Only twelve hours earlier, there arose such a clamor
When Tony decided to pull out the hammer.
“The shower needs fix’n,” he said, lacking denial,
Then he tore down the wall, tile by tile.
A trip to Home Depot, two hundred bucks spent,
He had what he needed for this first-time event.
We all stood back just waiting to see,
Three girls, two cats, the dog and me.
Usually clad in a shirt and a tie,
Our man tightened his tool belt and gave it a try.
He measured and hammered each nail with direction
Then plastered and tiled with the greatest perfection.
He examined his labor then placed the last tile.
“This wall is complete,” he said with a smile.
We all gathered ’round to share in his glee,
Three kids, one cat, the dog and me…
As we sat at the table enjoying our spread,
A noise from somewhere got stuck in my head.
“What is it?” I asked, but got no reply.
Whatever it was, it was starting to cry.
We followed the sound to the top of the stairs,
Where one cat was pacing, befuddled to tears.
He paced beside the new wall with much fright,
Like someone who knows there is something not right.
“Oh, no,” said Tony, pacing along.
“I think I did something, something so wrong.”
He surveyed the closets in each and every room,
Then called the cat’s name, forestalling his doom.
When no one came running, he knew what was to be,
We looked on in horror, the girls and me.
He tore at the wall, ripping tile by tile;
There was no time to waste. Spike had been in there a while.
A hole in the wall would appear such a pity,
But not when it’s structured to rescue a kitty.
He reached in his arm, felt around still unsure,
’Til he hit something soft, something covered in fur.
The cat came out quiet, still shocked, in a fog.
We celebrated his rescue; all but Buster, the dog.
A quick tip from a salesman who learned from his plight,
Remove cats from the wall before sealing it tight.
~Kassie Rubico
