A Thoroughly Crooked Christmas

‘Twas the first of December, and all through the House,

Twenty-Five Cats were chasing a Mouse.

Upstairs, Down, the Pantry, the Hall.

But the Mouse was too fast and too clever for all.

The first Cat drew tinsel away from some cheese,

To coax Mr Mouse to a trap for a wheeze

But the Cat did not counter that tinsel is loud,

And Mouse ran away to the shed, at the sound.

At the shed he considered a hanging red stocking

All decked with a beautiful shiny cream topping

The twenty-four Cat feet, behind it, all squatting

The Mouse had no time for, and leapt to the awning.

The Christmas tree sparkled, the window now frosted

And nine sneaky Cats crept their way to the Mouse, now exhausted

But ascent of a tree is more easy, they do say, for a Mouse

Than nine Cats who, by tumbling down, their presence did announce.

His paws the Mouse washed, by the glowing warm fire

And, approaching, thirteen hairy front paws, to ‘admire’

As they neared, so to push, with all strength, said poor mouse to his doom

Said poor mouse leapt and left those Cats to be fumes.

The baby was crying, its parents attended,

And Cats one, two, three on the sleeping Mouse descended,

But from winter-time cold, Cat two had the flu.

She sneezed and Mouse darted, plain out of view.

‘Twas the day before Christmas, and into the cold,

All twenty-five Cats, their tails they did hold

Upstairs, Down, the Pantry, the Hall.

Knowing that Mouse was too clever for all.