Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Thursday is such a welcome sight. It means it's almost Friday, and it also means that we get to rhyme. After all, every Thursday we participate and Angel Sammy and Teddy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge.

Each week, our hosts share a photo prompt to help get our creative juices flowing. The image for this week is this beautifully haunting one here:

Truth be told, I was watching the Rapunzel-inspired movie known as Tangled when I started working on my poem based on that there image. I really am in a very fairy tale mood these days. What's more, my movie choice heavily influenced the poem I scribbled up for this week. If you read this insanely long rhyme, you'll see what I mean.

The Tilted Bell Tower

Beneath the bright blue sky spanned the great big plains,

With acres of grass that went on for days and days.

Upon these plains not a single landmark had been lain.

That is, except for that sole little building under a great deal of strain.

This little old building boasted walls of old brick.

So what if they looked downright crumbly and sick?

Was that a bell tower on top?

All tilted to the side and about to fall off?

This quaint old building had its appeal,

Even if did looked ready to topple down head over heels.

In fact, that little old building drew in one intrigued passerby,

A young woman with bright hair so long it could reach the sky.

Pushing her hair back and tugging at the hem of her dress,

This young lady walked through grass and what looked like cress.

The distance to that tilted, quaint building grew less and less.

A sense of intrigue that building of brick did possess.

The young woman wondered if it was just as appealing from the inside.

She wondered what mystery those old walls did hide.

Of course, she wasn't about to let it remain a mystery,

So through the doorway she did slip for a look-see.

There was something that called to the woman right off the bat,

And that was the staircase that spiraled this way and that.

Were those the stairs that led to the tilted bell tower?

That was a mystery this young woman was about to scour.

The lady stepped up and up those spiral stairs.

She found that it was best if she scooped up her long hair.

After all, it trailed behind her for many a yards,

And when left down it snagged on the stairs and made climbing quite hard.

Finally, the young woman reached the top step.

The bell tower was indeed up there, yep.
To reach it, she walked through a tiny little door,
And right onto the bell tower's old, rickety floor.

The view from the tilting tower was really quite grand.
The young lady could see for miles from where she did stand.

Eventually, though, she had seen enough,
But when she turned to leave, her luck was rough.

To the young woman's chagrin, the little door to the tower had closed.
What's worse, it had locked and she was now quite trapped and enclosed.
Picking locks was not a skill she possessed,
A fact that currently brought her a great deal of stress.
She thought, How am I going to escape this predicament?
This was most certainly and assuredly not my intent.

The young woman could still see for miles and miles,
Which was how she knew there was no one around to help her through this trial.
Just then, though, a brown tabby of a cat passed by below.
With nothing else to do, she greeted the feline with, "Hello!"

The cat stopped in its tracks and looked up.
Then, believe it or not, it said, "Well, this is weird, yup."
The young woman stuttered and spluttered and said,
"You're a cat, and you talk. What the heck."

The cat sat on its rump and scratched at its nose.
Then it said, "You're the one who said hello first, you know."
Shaking her head and suspending disbelief,
The young woman replied, "Could you perhaps help me?
I came up to this bell tower to just look around,
But now the door is locked, and I'd much rather be on the ground."

The cat let out a tad bit of a sigh,
And then it did reply,
"Truth be told, my claws have picked many a lock.
I guess I could help you past this roadblock."

The cat left the woman's sight as it entered the old building.
Just as soon, though, it stood back below and said words that did sting.
"The door to the bell tower appears to lock only from the inside.
This is strange, a tad bit deranged, and I don't know why."

The young woman groaned and was nearly losing hope.
The cat asked, "You don't by chance have any rope?
I'm not about to break my neck jumping onto that wibbly-wobbly roof.
If you had a rope, though, I could climb up there just like that. Poof!"

"I don't have a rope, no," the young woman did say.
Then she smiled and did add, "But I do have hair that goes on for days!"
She quickly threw her locks over the bell tower's rail,
So that to the ground below it did flow and sail."

The cat tilted its head to the side,
Looking at the woman's hair through squinted eyes.
The feline said, "You were taken aback by a talking cat,
When you walk around every day with hair a mile long like that?"

Not waiting for a reply, the cat swiftly climbed her hair all the way up to the tower.
Without delay, it trotted to the door and showed off its pick-locking powers.
The cat's claws had the door opened in a matter of seconds.
Before it jogged down the stairs, the cat said, "I hope you learned your lesson."

The woman knew the cat had a point,
And she certainly did not intend to do that again and disappoint.
As the cat licked a paw, it then said,
"In case you were wondering, my name is Ned."
The young lady combed her hair, which was now as coarse and tangled as wool.
She said, "It's nice to meet you, Ned. I'm Rapunzel."

The cat twitched its tail and said, "Well, that's a weird name.
Nonetheless, Rapunzel, I hope I never find you in this way again."
While Rapunzel thanked it and bid it adieu,
The cat trotted away and simply said, "Mew."

***

Around here, Thursdays are the day that Thimble shows off herself and expresses her Thankfuls.

Today, Thimble is thankful for the warm and cozy spot her mom leaves behind in bed. Thimble knows good and all that when someone gets out of bed or off of a couch or chair, they will leave behind a toasty spot for her to nap. Isn't that wonderful? Thimble thinks it's wonderful.

We also thank you all for your friendship, as always!

***

Now we have for you all the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing crafted up the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. I am allergic to _________.

2. My taxes _________.

3. I don't tell many people _________.

4. When it rains, _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

Today's National Pet Poison Awareness Month tip is an add-on to our tip from yesterday, when we reminded you to keep doors closed and other obstacles in place to keep your furbaby safe from substances and areas with poison. Taking that one step further, if needed, child-proofing products can be your your best friend even for those furry children in your life. For example, do you have a curious kitty or puppy who has found ways to open cabinets and drawers? This can put a furbaby at risk, such as if those cabinets and drawers contain human medications, cleaners, or other toxic items, or even sharp or other dangerous objects. To prevent prying paws from opening cabinets and drawers, you can get child-proof, or pet-proof, locks that make cabinets and drawers difficult or impossible to open without dexterity, or opposable thumbs. There are also child-proof locks to keep main doors securely closed. This can come in handy if you have a kitty or pup who knows how to manipulate certain door handles.

We've mentioned this on here before, but also don't forget the usefulness of baby gates. They also make gates that are more specifically pet-proof, such as tall ones over which dogs and cats cannot easily jump. These can be used to block access to certain areas of the house to ensure your kitty or pup's safety. For example, you can use baby or pet gates to block access to the kitchen, especially if potentially toxic foods are being prepared. These gates can also be used to block off garbage cans, laundry areas, or other areas of the home where potential poisoning might occur.

Just as with a human child, our kitties and pups can get themselves into trouble. Consider all areas of the home where danger might arise, and then do your research on what you can do to best prevent emergencies from dangers such as accidental poisoning. Do your best to always be one step ahead of your kitty or pup, as difficult as that may be.