Woof Woof Wednesday with a Rhyme on the Side

It's time for a pouty puppy snout shot!

Do you see the little scar above Astrid's left nostril? A couple years ago, I don't fully know how, but she lost a little chunk of her nose. She just walked up to me one day when we were all relaxing at home, and she had a little pink spot on her nose where she'd lost a bit of flesh. This pup does like to bury food bowls and chew bones with her nose, so perhaps she got a little too flamboyant doing that and lost a bit of skin. Ever since then, Astrid's had that little indentation on her nose. I think it's kind of cute.

***

Now, we're doing things a little differently today. Each week, we participate in Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge. This week, since Thursday is Independence Day in the US, we'll be dedicating our post to that. So, we're sharing our poem today. We hope you don't mind!

Our poetic host always shares a photo to help guide us. This week's image is this wonderfully chilling one here:

I adore this image. As a person who loves spooky, atmospheric things, and whose favorite holiday is Halloween, this photo made me so incredibly happy. I'm going to be honest, the first thing this image inspired me to do was doodle up my own version of it. So, I did just that, and then I wrote my poem with both images in mind. That being said, I don't know that I really like my poem, or that it represents either the original image or my doodle all that well, or that I even successfully got my ultimate idea across well. But, I at least had fun writing the poem, and doodling up my own version of the spookishly stunning image above.

The Witches

The witches lived upon the great big hill,

In a house that evoked fears and chills.

It moaned and groaned with every windy gust,

Its sides adorned with rotten wood and rust.

Eyes of the cat familiars could be seen in the warped windows,

Staring straight into each and every passerby's soul.

Everyone in town avoided the witches like the plague.

A witch sighting never failed to spark terror and rage.

Townsfolk said the witches wished nothing but ill will.

Townsfolk said the witches had devilish charms and spells to fulfill.

Miss Maple claimed she once saw a witch strike lightning to the ground.

Mr. Peabody claimed from the witch house he heard terrifying sounds.

That is why the townsfolk quaked in their shoes,

When a witch appeared in town one summer day at noon.

She wore a long black gown to go with her bright red hair.

Atop her head was a pointy black hat sticking straight up in the air.

On her shoulder sat a poised and admittedly regal cat,

Just as black as the witch's pointed hat.

The witch walked down the road and right into town,

Either oblivious or uncaring of the townsfolk's frowns.

The witch and her cat first stopped at Dora's Diner,

Where she ordered two tuna plates and a glass of hot cider.

The witch and her cat took their time eating.

No other patrons were willing to remain seated.

They all stood and left in more than a hurry,

Something that made Dora the diner owner a tad bit surly.

Not that she would ask the witch to leave, though.

She wouldn't risk that, oh no.

Finally, the witch and the cat finished their meal,
And thanked Dora with words ever so sincere.
When the witch and her cat made their way back out to the street,
The townsfolk gave them space of more than a few feet.

It was to the shops where the witch and her cat headed next.
In fact, that's where they spent hours that numbered nearly ten.
The witch perused and bought a handful of things,
Including a set of pots and some colorful string.

By the time the witch finished and left the shops,
The moon had replaced the sun way up top.
Much to the townsfolk's relief,
The witch began taking the road out of town on her own two feet.

Suddenly, though, the witch stopped in the middle of the street.
It seemed there was something she did see.
She was facing the one street lamp whose light had gone out.
The townsfolk wondered what this was all about.

The witch whispered something to the cat on her shoulder,
And to the lamp they stepped even closer.
The cat's tail flicked back and forth,
With really a great deal of chilling force.

The townsfolk felt a great wave of fear,
When out of thin air a ball of flame did appear.
The fire flew from the witch and her cat to the street lamp that stood dark,
So that right before their eyes it suddenly glowed bright and sharp.

Indeed, the lamp was no longer dark after that.
The witch petted her cat and straightened her hat.

Old Mrs. Crank was the one who finally did plea,
"Witch, won't you just go on ahead and leave?"

The witch and her cat turned right around,
Until they faced the woman who had made the sound.
"Oh," the witch said, "are you talking to me?"
"Of course I am," Mrs. Crank said and stepped back a few feet.

A smile formed on the witch's pale head,
And with that smile she said,
"What makes you think I'm a witch?"

Really, you have your facts quite switched."

The woman again straightened her pointy hat,
And promptly reached up and petted her cat.
There was again great swishing of that tail,

And the woman introduced the cat to the townsfolk as Gail.

"We'll be gone now," the witchy woman said in a happy tone.
"Gail, will you please take us home?"
The black cat named Gail made a quite evident nod.
Then, with a swish of its tail and a meow they were quite suddenly gone.

Happy Wednesday!

***

Did you know?

Did you know that black cats and dogs have lower adoption rates than their fellow cats and dogs who are not black? I'm fairly certain pretty much all of you indeed have heard this or know this, some of you even witnessing it from firsthand experience with shelter and rescue animals. Some reasons it's believed black cats and dogs are sometimes overlooked is because they don't always necessarily photograph well (photographers much more skilled than myself, though, have proven that black cats and dogs can look perfectly stunning in photos!), they may not have as distinctive markings as other cats and dogs, and even because of superstitions about black cats being bad luck (which is completely not true!). Many of us know just how wonderful black cats and dogs are, so let's spread the word about them.