‘Twas four days before Christmas, and all through the house
All the boys did play Star Wars – yes, even the spouse;
The cats had a fight under my Christmas tree
and knocked off the ornaments – much fun for me.
The seahorses curled on the corals with care,
in hopes that their feeding tube soon would be there;
And I with my Kindle and novels galore
Settled down on the couch to read just one more,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
As the guilty cats scattered with furry-pawed dash.
The LED lighting I’d strung from the roof
Did little to lighten the darkness, in truth,
So my wondering eyes strained the darkness to see
The source of the noise that had just disturbed me.
I saw a dark shadow, white striped, heard a ‘thunk’
And knew in a moment … it must be a skunk.
First one, and then two, then the whole family came,
And my cats watched them playing their little skunk game.
Now, Lily! Now, Oobie! Now Tribble …cats, GO!
Get away from the window, and please don’t be slow!
To the office with you! Get yourselves out of sight!
If the skunks see you here they will stink up the night!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
I sent all the cats running, then turned with a sigh
just in time to see daddy skunk lifting his tail,
on the lighted-up reindeer … a big Christmas fail.
And then, in a twinkling, they scampered away –
All the skunks disappeared, not a single one stayed.
As looked out the window to see why they fled,
The answer popped into my curious head.
She was dressed all in lights from her feet to her head,
A fully-armed angel with shotgun instead
of the trumpet she’d carried just two weeks ago,
It wouldn’t have fired – but the skunks didn’t know.
Her wings how they glittered – her white lights aglow!
Her humanoid form had made all the skunks go!
I snickered once more at the sight on the lawn,
Then turned to the couch and flicked Kindle back on.
With the skunks out of sight, I returned to my book,
The seahorses begged, the guys gamed, the cats took
all the ornaments off of the tree –
Merry Christmas to all – may yours, too, be skunk-free.
