Early Morning Antics

'Twas the dawn of a Wednesday, when all thro' the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The coffee stood ready in the kitchen with care,

In hopes that I would wake up and put grounds in there.

Our child was nestled all snug in her bed,

While visions of bunnies danced in her head

And Dave in his sleep pants and I in my shirt

Were dead sound asleep, lying quite inert.

When down the stairs there arose such a clatter,

We sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the stairs Dave flew like The Flash,

With me close behind, as I’m slow with my dash.

Not actually Dave

The child was screaming bloody murder and he called out her name

“Gracie, where are you!?” Dave bellowed, preparing to maim

Any such person who dared hurt his wee dame.

Also: not actually Dave

When, what to my wondering eyes should behold,

But our very own child, confused by the ruckus and a little bit cold.

She was tucked in her bed, just as I left her last night.

So no cries of hers gave us a fright.

More rapid than eagles his legs propelled him down,

Ready to pounce upon whatever he found.

"Now! Moose, now! Daisy, now! Bandit…what’s wrong?

And he realized our cat’s tail was puffed out like a Kong.

A Kong, I say again.  If you were a dog owner, you’d know

Most dog owners have this toy filled with treats in tow.

Anyway, I admit that was a poor description.

But it’s hard to find a word for a feline backsection.

Not actually our cat

Where was I?  Oh yes, Dave found the source of who cried:

Our cat, absolutely apoplectic at something outside

Despite his thorough investigation of the backyard,

My husband could not find anything, even though he looked hard.

Through the patio doors, of course: it was twilight

He wasn’t crazy enough to explore armed with only a flashlight.

Not actually our flashlight

And then in a twinkling, I heard I heard him ascend

A chuckle on his breath and heart on the mend,

He sounded bemused and he sounded relieved.

I realized my husband was no longer peeved.

He explained to me what happened, that our cat was just scared

At something he saw outside, enough to have his teeth bared.

As my alarm was about to sound, I decided to begin my day

Gracie followed me closely as I descended without delay.

The cat was still skittish and the dogs were both yearning

To explore the backyard; even my curiosity was burning.

Alas, I sent them to lay down alongside our Grace

As if it were a skunk, I did not want them shot in the face.

Not an actual skunk

So we waited until daybreak, when each detail was seen.

And when I peeked, all appeared to be where it had been.

Will we ever know what gave our poor cat a fright?

Perhaps we will get another chance to know… tonight.