Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday! We'll get right to the always fun Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge, which of course is hosted by the ever so handsome Angel Sammy and Teddy.

Our hosts provide us with a photo prompt each week. The photo they shared last week, for us to use as inspiration for this week's poetry, is this majestic one here:

To be honest, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this seafaring photo was pirates. But, I've already done two recent poems involving pirates, and I think I'm all pirated out.

So, what came to my mind next upon looking at the above photo was the concept of Helen of Troy, she with "the face that launched a thousand ships". I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here before, but I actually really enjoy myself some good ol' Greek mythology. I even enjoy it enough that I took a couple of classical civilization and mythology courses in college just for the fun of it, though it had absolutely nothing to do with my degree.

Anyway, there I go rambling again. Long story short, I decided to try my hand at putting a bit of a different twist on the concept of "the face that launched a thousand ships", which led me to the poem below.

Oh, and as a warning, I can't seem to write short poems for the life of me. My apologies. Kudos to any of you who make it through my lengthy rhymes.

The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships

Old King Edwin was a right old mess.

His world had turned upside down and he was in distress.

There was good reason King Edwin was such a blubbering specimen.

It was because someone had stolen his beautiful Evelyn!

King Edwin had awoken to his beloved Evelyn's absence.

The window was open and a cold wind blew the valance.

It was then that he knew the truth of the matter.

Some thief had arrived with not even a pitter-patter,

And with King Edwin's Evelyn that thief had stolen away into the night,

Leaving him in a state of anger and fright.

Finally, King Edwin knew what he must do.

Onto the balcony overlooking the seas he did skiddoo.

"Evelyn, my dear," to the waters beyond he did say,

"I am coming for you, and without delay!"

A thousand ships King Edwin then did accrue,
To rescue his beautiful Evelyn whom he loved so true.
Aboard one of the ships King Edwin himself did sail,
And on the seas he and his crews set out with the aid of a gale.

They searched high and they searched low,
Though they had not a clue where Evelyn or her abductor did go.
That did not matter to King Edwin, though.
He had no intention of stopping the search until he had his Evelyn in tow.

And so on the seas the thousand ships sailed and sailed.
They landed on an island with mountains to scale.
On one such peak they found a cave,
In which King Edwin hoped he would find his beloved to save.
But, alas, the cave's inhabitant was not his Evelyn.
Instead, what he found was a giant troll quite menacing.
With Evelyn nowhere in the cave to be found,
Away from that terror King Edwin and his crews did bound.

Onward they sailed, this time in a squall.
Through swamps and bogs their ships did creep and crawl.
Though soaked to the bone they were,
King Edwin would simply not be deterred.

They landed in a forest stifling hot and green.
A passerby to aid them they hoped they might see,
But all they encountered were bows, arrows, and spears,
For the folk of this land were unhappy to see the ships appear.
Seeing that his Evelyn was not in that fierce forest,
King Edwin turned back and fled in earnest.
 From that land the thousand ships did skedaddle,
And back through the swamps and bogs they did paddle.

King Edwin and his men thought nothing could get worse.
That is, until they met a witch whom on them put a curse.
She had appeared to them suddenly in the middle of the sea,
And for the whereabouts of his Evelyn King Edwin did plea.
But such information she did not bestow,
For she was simply looking for some victims to leave smote.
With barely the skins on their backs left intact,
The men sailed away while the witch was distracted with a magic act.

Exhausted and with his dignity feeling quite hurt,
King Edwin and his men finally landed in a great desert.
In the distance they spotted structures that to them looked quite strange.
They were big, pointed, and covered much range.
These giant triangles became their destination,
And the king and his men set off towards them without hesitation.

As they approached one structure, King Edwin heard a voice,
And at the sound of it he did mightily rejoice.
He recognized this melodic voice that did sound.
It was that of his Evelyn, whom he had finally found!

Into the giant pointy building King Edwin did run,
Where he found his Evelyn basking in a grand window's sun.
She sat on her own throne of gold and red,
And to her a great many folk were bowing their heads.

"I have found you at last!" King Edwin did say,
And to Evelyn he did run without delay.
All the while the ships' crews were really quite befuddled.
"That is Evelyn?" one surly man mumbled.

Evelyn looked at King Edwin and let out a soft mew,
And began to lick her paw with interest anew.
He cried a happy cry and drew her into his arms,
Where she would be safe and free from harm.

Evelyn's face was as fair as King Edwin remembered,
Right down to her jade eyes and her dazzling whiskers.
Then around herself her billowing tail Evelyn did wrap,
And with one more mew settled in for a nap.

And so ends this tale of a king and his lady.
King Edwin did not care if any thought him crazy.
His Evelyn's was indeed the face that launched a thousand ships,
And from his grasp King Edwin would never again let her slip.

***

As with every Thursday, Thimble now wants to show off some photos of her lovely self.

Not only did Thimble decide to give you friends of hers a nice shot of her cute little nose and eyes, but she also thought you might like to enjoy her fuzzy tummy, with a cameo from her toes.

Thimble snapped these shots on an old yet wonderfully cozy bed made for kitties just like her. This little bed has been in the family since Angel Rosie's time with us. So very grateful for such a cozy snoozing spot, Thimble is entering this into Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

All of us here are truly so thankful for all of the comforts with which we are blessed in life. We are so lucky to have warm beds in a warm home, something that not all are lucky enough to know. Our purrs and prayers go out every day to those who lack the comfort of a warm home and a warm bed.

Many blessings to all!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Yesterday we discussed symptoms you might notice if your furbaby is suffering from any number of dental issues or diseases. Our tip for today is a bit of a long one, and it will wrap up our dental tips. We'll start with the recommendation of, of course, taking your furbaby to be seen by a veterinarian if you notice any dental concerns. Your veterinarian can take a look in your cat or dog's mouth to get a basic idea of what might be going on. They might be able to see a broken tooth, an abscess or infected tooth, gingivitis or other gum disease, or masses growing within the mouth. Of course, a simple exam may not reveal everything, and when dental disease is noted or suspected, it might very well be recommended that the animal go under anesthesia for a more thorough dental exam, dental x-rays, dental cleaning, or extractions.

If a dental procedure is recommended, of course discuss the necessary details, options, and plans with the veterinarian. Make sure that both you and your veterinarian are on the same page. If your furbaby has other existing diseases, such as those of the kidney or heart and lungs, of course discuss with your veterinarian if or how it is best to safely proceed with a procedure.

If a dental procedure is scheduled, make sure that you understand all preparations for it. Give your kitty or pup any prescribed pre-op medications, such as antibiotics, if applicable. Just as we recently discussed in one of our spay/neuter tips, also be sure to pull your furbaby's food at 10 pm or so the night before the surgery, or whenever you are instructed to do so, in order to reduce the risk of aspiration while under anesthesia.

Also make sure you understand all post-op care. For example, give antibiotics, pain killers, or other medications as instructed. Some dental work, such as tooth extractions, requires that your furbaby go off of dry food and exclusively eat moist food for at least a couple or a few days after the procedure. Be sure that you understand if this is required, so that your furbaby can recover and heal as quickly and efficiently as possible. After dental work is performed, also make sure that you understand if your veterinarian recommends at-home care from then on out, such as brushing your cat or dog's teeth or applying certain oral medications on a regular basis to help prevent future concerns.