Haunting Music, Paw Prints in Ivory

Tiny paw prints on ivory keys

And yet no one ever sees

The furry culprit in the dark of night

Reflective, gold eyes that need no light

To find the baby grand

The eyes enlarge, she has a plan

To pull the humans from their bed

“A little music will get me fed!”

Dancing tiny soft paws

Tapping in time, delicate claws

The clock strikes 3:00 a.m.

An eerie melody, a lyrical gem

Startles the couple awake

“What’s going on, for heaven’s sake?”

A woman’s voice utters in fear

They both emerge from their silent room

Expecting a harbinger of doom

The impish creature who serenades

Has jumped to the floor, a renegade

The light switch is flipped

Terrified fingers together gripped

Expecting a ghostly apparition

They sigh in relief, a chuckling transition

The man says, “Why do we allow?”

The wee thief in the night answers, “Meow!”

cat and piano
Molly the Cat

Every author needs a good assistant. Cats are a good choice.

Every author needs a good assistant. Cats are a good choice.

Writers who love cats is certainly not a new idea. I have a whole book on the subject! Remember Ernest Hemingway?

Meet my assistant, Molly. She is a 6-1/2 Turkish Angora. The little pink nose faded out on the photo so she posed for me so I could draw it in correctly. She is my muse. She loves to be sung to, to be read to, and is very interested in everything I write. She is my unofficial editor and proofreader.

Given the opportunity she would love to be my resident artist.

Molly works hard. Molly needs “treat breaks.” Molly works no overtime. We have regular thought sessions together with string exercises. Molly likes the color red.

Extra work beyond Molly’s job description requires cream cheese and black caviar or smoked salmon bonuses in advance. Fresh tuna is to be shared, not hoarded.

Molly and I make quite a team!