If Mary had a Cat

In summer 2007, while Christine and I were on Martha's Vineyard we met her friend Dan Waters at an arts show. Dan does amazing old school print things, and had made a woodblock or litho portrait of Our Lady holding a cat.(Note, not the pic you see here - I'll have to find and scan it in later),
Long story short, it inspired the poem below, which Chris and I used with the picture of Mary for our Holiday cards.



 

 

If Mary had a Cat

(July 26 & 27, 2007)



 Suppose that Mary had a cat,
Instead of Baby Jesus
Then early up on Christmas morn’
What presents there would please us?

Hairballs, dead mice, you’d give to me
I’d stalk a partridge, for your tree
And when the wise kings came, to see
We’d scratch the ankles of those three!

No frankincense, no Magi myrrh
No mistletoe, just catnip pure.
No midnight hymns, all silent night
We’d lay about and purr

The badge of winter colds, would pass
No red nose blown in honor
We’d proudly get cat allergies
To fur, and disdain Donner.

Suppose that Mary had a cat
Instead of Baby Jesus
Knee deep in cat toys, we would be
Exchanging Christmas sneezes!