by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Cactus-Tailed Cat

Cactus-Tailed Cat, Photo by Cheryl Batavia

Cactus-Tailed Cat

In nineteen thirty-six, in Sunday school,

someone said: Did you hear about Harvey?

You mean that guy who always acts the fool?

I heard that he has Hepatitis B!

Oh, wow! I didn’t know that he was sick!

They think he could die. We might lose a friend.

We’ll cheer Harvey up. Think of something quick!

A dozen roses would be nice to send.

The Sunday school class wanted to be kind…

Roses were too expensive, it was clear.

A cat with a cactus tail…What a find!

What a perfect gift to bring Harvey cheer!

Harvey, my Dad, was too stubborn to die!

Fifteen-year-old Harvey dodged tragedy!

That cactus-tailed cat was the reason why

they joined the Church…Harvey’s whole family!

Harvey became a Methodist preacher,

devoted to service for fifty years.

He was a story-teller and teacher;

he visited the sick and calmed their fears.

My Grandma gave me the cactus-tailed cat

that changed the family’s way of living.

The cat’s now a gift for my daughter that

honors her life of service and giving.

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

This poem is based on a true family story as told to me by my grandmother and my father. The first three verses are an imagined conversation showing how the Sunday school class decided to send the cactus cat to my father in the hospital.

The cactus-tailed cat is ready to send to my daughter, Ellen, in Texas. Ellen is an ordained Baptist chaplain and is taking seminary classes. She has taught Recovery classes for several years and is an administrator for the program.. I am not sure what her future plans are.

Disclosure: The cat is posing for this photo with an improvised cucumber tail. She is looking forward to getting a new cactus tail when she arrives in Texas.

92 Comments

    1. Thank you, Ashok! ❤ The funny little cat and the story have been part of our family lore for about eighty-five years. Glad you like them! Your good wishes to my daughter are very much appreciated! ❤ Though our point of view may differ, she is a wonderful person, and I am very proud of her! Have a great week, Ashok! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Offshorewriter, for your lovely comment! ❤ If it weren't for the little cat, I wouldn't be here. 🙂 It means a lot that young people are interested in hearing my old stories. This one goes back for about 85 years in my family. Have a wonderful day! ❤

      Like

      Reply

  6. This is how culture is handed over from generation to generation, sometimes in form of tales, sometimes nostalgic pictures, and sometimes even as a cat with a cactus tail. A simple gift of love that far outlasted the dozen roses. This is what is to love about friends really! we too have such memorabilia carefully stored in a showcase over many years, and a large collection of books by my father, which me and my daughter enjoy whenever we visit home.

    I loved this poem of compassion and culture hidden inside a funny cat. Your dad did rich payback to the society for the kindness he received, and I see it was well handed over to you too Cheryl on the way to the future generations 💖. A lovely read!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Deb, I don’t know where to begin telling you how much I appreciate the kind thoughts you share. ❤ Thank you so much for telling me about your family mementos and books by your father. The cat and the story have been in my family for about eighty-five years. I like very much your observation that the cat "far outlasted a dozen roses". Indeed! 🙂 Have a great day and a wonderful week ahead! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thank you, David, for your kind comments and good wishes. I am hoping that this poem and the cat will be meaningful to my daughter, She is following in her grandfather’s footsteps in that she is always helping others. We don’t agree on a number of things, but I am very proud of her! All the best! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. One chaplain? Wow, what a narrow attitude, Kate! How many different religions and denominations are represented in your area? And what about individual preferences? Maybe things will change. Have you ever worked in disaster areas? My daughter has expressed an interest in doing that. Enjoy your week! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. doubt it Cheryl … we seem quick to feed and give temporary shelter but even those with fully insured houses haven’t started the rebuild one year on from our bad fires! Now they face heat waves in tents with no running water 😦

        Like

    1. Thank you, Cindy, for your wonderful response! ❤ That silly little cat represents a positive change for my father's family. I don't think I would have ever been born if it were not for the cactus-tailed cat. I thought it might be meaningful to my daughter as she seems to be following in her grandfather's footsteps. I don't share my daughter's religious views, but I am very proud of her for her lifetime of serving others.

      Stay well and be happy. I admire your work which helps many people find health and happiness! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. You are so welcome!!!
        WOW! I hadn’t even thought of that Cheyrl and if you were not woth us, we would have missed your beautiful and insightful presence. 3 cheers for the Cat Cacti 🌵 and You 🤗
        I honor and salute you! Oh I sure can’t understand things about my children either but we live them in-spite of it. Sometimes I wonder: “wait, who raised you?” Lol.

        You stay well too and thank you so much for that very kind comment! 💕❤️hugs and love! 💕C

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Michel, for the kind and beautiful response. I am so happy that you liked the poem, and I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment.

      Yesterday, I planted a cactus in the cat and mailed it to my daughter. I am hoping it will be meaningful to her as she follows in her grandfather’s footsteps.

      All the best!
      Love ❤
      Cheryl

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Dwight, for your kind response. Yes, a simple act of kindness transformed my father’s whole family for generations to come. I am very proud of my daughter. She has lived a life of service to others. ❤ I hope you are enjoying your Christmas festivities 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  33. I put together a new wreath for the outside and bought a couple of poinsettias for the porch. When my daughters were here, they used to help me trim a tree, but I have decided to keep it simple this year. I will also make latkes sometime during Hanukkah! Enjoy the tree trimming with your grandchildren. That sounds like a wonderful tradition! ❤

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s