Santa Claws - For Contest

Santa “Claws” it was bitterly cold the tree lot that night as I loaded our tree tied it up really tight drove through wet streets the windblown fresh flurries past the slow moving cars in this season that hurries pulled into the driveway to the family’s applause a much muted version of that for the “Clause” Carried the tree in cut all the twine stood it up straight to let it unwind mixed up a warming egg nog with some rum never expecting what was to come A shreik and a scurry a “Dad – Come here Quick!!” it seemed that the tree’d played a horrible trick something was moving emitting low growl each time it moved the children would howl seems that the heat the light of our home awakened the beast caused it to moan climbed amid branches sticky thick sap upset we had woke it from its cold winter’s nap and so there we waited with baskets and net and towels in case it came out all wet As slowly the growl softened to a mew two eyes peeking out on surroundings quite new The children all gasped as it fell from the tree rolled in a ball out on to the floor sprang to its feet took off in a blur jumped into the box with the bulbs and the tinsel bellowed the song a high pitched old minstrel tangled in wires covered in bows two greenish eyes one little pink nose four little paws in a “What the heck” pose. So shake out your trees for this story is written of how we brought home our first Christmas Kitten. 11/13/2015 submitted to – Cats and Christmas Trees – Poetry Contest sponsor – Mary Oliver Rotman