Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Happy Thursday! We'll kick off today just like we always do, and that's with Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Our hosts have made some fun changes to this poetic challenge. Whereas we previously did A to Z poems, our hosts now give us a photo prompt each week. Isn't that fun? We sure think so! This is the photo we were given as our prompt for this week:

Let's be honest, where this picture led me is a bit strange. You see, when I first saw it, it immediately made me think of the movie Mad Max, the original of which came out in 1979. To put it simply, Mad Max is a dystopian film revolving around a slightly insane highway patrolman named Max who is chasing down a motorbike gang in a society on the verge of collapse. Makes sense, right?

Now, I'm trying to challenge myself by always writing my photo prompt poems based on the very first subject that comes to my mind upon seeing the photo of the week. So, for this one, I had to work with Mad Max. That being said, we all know that Christmas is now only four days away, and so of course I wanted my poem for this week to be a festive one. This was bound to get interesting. But, long story short, I tweaked some things and somehow ended up with this lengthy rhyme:

Bad Max
 

Bad Max had ginger hair

And eyes that shone in a bright green glare.

Bad Max also had an attitude,

With a sour soul lacking in gratitude.
 

Early one morning Bad Max found a letter

Tucked inside the sleeve of his favorite sweater.

Bad Max read the letter from beginning to end,

Wondering if perhaps it had been left there by a friend.
 

“Dear Bad Max,

Of your deeds I have been keeping track.

I must admit that I am distressed

To know how cold is the heart inside your chest.

You cause trouble near and far.

You even wrecked your mother’s car!

Bad Max, I’ll cut right to the chase.

You are on the naughty list due to your lack of grace.

If instead a life of kindness you do embrace,

Then on the nice list you will placed.

Best wishes,

Father Christmas”
 

Bad Max read the letter with great horror.

The news could not have been any poorer.

How could he be on the naughty list?

Surely there was something Father Christmas had missed.

Surely Bad Max had really not been all that bad.

Certainly no more than just a tad?

At first Bad Max felt red in the face.

But then, he pondered, perhaps Father Christmas had a case.

Bad Max could not deny the wreck of his mother’s car.

Really, he must admit, his behavior had been a bit subpar.
 

Eager to move from naughty to nice,

Bad Max determined to undo his each and every vice.

He ceased being, you could say, a bit of a jerk,

And even began helping his little siblings with their homework.

He helped little old ladies cross the road.

To his neighbors great kindness he showed,

And even their groceries he began to unload.
 

After a great many weeks of such mighty endeavors,

Bad Max received yet another letter.

This time it read,

“Glad tidings, Max!

Due to your recent kind acts,

You are no longer deemed naughty.

You’re not even a little bit snotty!

You can now consider yourself a nice boy,

And that brings this old man a great deal of joy.

Max, you really should be quite proud of yourself.

In fact, would you like to join the ranks as an elf?

We think you would fit in quite well,

And having you on our team sure would be swell.

Best wishes,

Father Christmas”

In case you were wondering, that is nothing like how the movie Mad Max plays out. Oh, and in case you were wondering, reformed Bad Max took Santa up on his offer.

That now leads us to Thimble's turn to star in this post.

Can you see little Thimble in that shot? She's not only enjoying basking in the glory of her beloved Christmas tree, but she's also enjoying gawking at the fish in one of the aquariums beside the tree.

Thimble wasn't terribly happy about the tree trying to flush her out of that shot with its little orbs of light, but she forgave it. More so, Thimble is entering her gratitude for her Christmas tree and her fish friends into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are also thankful for this beautiful season of Christmas, and for our family and friends, of course including all of you!

Wishing you all a beautiful day!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Just as we promised yesterday, today we're discussing some options for making Christmas merry and bright for shelter and rescue furbabies. We of course want to include our own kitties and pups in the Christmas festivities, but it's also important to remember those who do not yet have a forever home.

To help brighten their holidays, you can make any number of donations to your local shelters and rescue groups. Toys, beds, blankets, cat trees, scratching posts, and anything that might help to enrich the shelter environment is one great option, even if these items are gently used ones that your own kitty or pup no longer uses or needs. You can also donate dry and canned foods and treats, as well as chew bones or other chew toys. Of course, also don't forget other items that could help to make the animals' and shelter workers' lives a bit easier, including carriers that you no longer need, and a variety of cleaning supplies. Many shelters and rescues have wish lists established online, or can inform you by phone or email of what they are most in need. Some shelters even simply ask you to save up newspapers or old towels and blankets to help make cages more comfortable for the animals. Of course, if you are able to make a monetary donation, no matter how big or small that may be, that can also help tremendously.

In addition, you could opt to volunteer your time, or even your home! Fostering a furbaby, even if simply to give them a temporary home in which to enjoy the holidays, can make a world of difference for both the animal and the staff who would otherwise need to be available to care for the furbabies over the holidays. If fostering is not an option, you can also sign up to help at the shelter, such as by caring for and interacting with adoptees over the holidays. This extra care and kindness could mean a great deal to a furbaby who is still waiting for their forever family to find them, and of course can also help relieve the shelter staff.

No matter how small or grand, anything you might be able to gift to a shelter or rescue this Christmas could make all the difference. So, if possible, don't forget the furbabies awaiting their forever homes this holiday season!