Shadow is a scaredy-cat,
His tough appearance a masquerade.
It takes little to scare him, for even
His own shadow makes him afraid.

Loud noises terrify him.
The telephone rings, a door slams,
A horn honks, fireworks go off,
The vacuum roars and Shadow scrams.

When guests come to pay a visit,
As soon as Shadow hears the sound
Of a knock on the door or the ring of the doorbell,
The scaredy-cat's nowhere to be found.

Under a bed, behind a couch,
Deep in the closet--out of sight--
Shadow waits in the grip of panic,
His green eyes open wide with fright.

One would think that by this time
Shadow's fears would be subsiding.
However, as long as he hears strange voices,
He remains in his places of hiding.

As soon as guests have left the house,
Shadow appears, looking as though
He's saying to his insensitive masters,
"Why do you have to torment me so?"

Whatever is out of the ordinary
To Shadow is an impending threat.
Imagine the pandemonium
Whenever he has to see the vet.

Nobody knows why Shadow's so fearful.
Deep in his past was something traumatic?
His doctor can't begin to explain
Why his behavior is so erratic.

Who can fathom the mind of a cat?
Something frightening must have spooked him.
The sad effects of a horrible nightmare?
Had someone long ago harshly rebuked him?

Astrologers looked at his birth chart to find
What could have caused his alarming neurosis.
“Mercury square Saturn,” they said,
And then they recommended hypnosis.

A Tarot card reader saw the Hermit
And the Eight of Swords, both reversed,
Flanked by the Moon and the Nine of Wands.
“My goodness!” she cried. “The poor cat’s cursed!”

A local preacher dropped by and said,
“I can pray this problem away.”
He then proceeded to speak in tongues.
It didn’t work, needless to say.

If you have a list of suggestions,
Do him a favor and check your list.
If Shadow is going to shake off his fears,
He's going to need a therapist.

-by Bob B (2-1-20)