December 3

It started in November
(As well I would remember)
This aggravation of a forced assignment;
My friends thought I'd just made it --
I'd hoped I could evade it --
I guess the stars were just not in alignment.

My name came up -- "What luck!"
And with that, I was stuck,
To go in spite of all my frantic pleas;
I'd never helped a birth
And didn't much like Earth
(Hate and corruption always make me sneeze.)

At least I'd look my best.
I packed my glittering vest
Until I found out...well, you get the gist.
I don't like mid-air dance
And by some strange mischance
My name had been left off the choir list.

"I hadn't made the cut,"
They said. I gave up -- but
I simply wasn't going as a sheep.
I chose a tabby cat,
Well-fed, content and fat
(I figured I could catch up on my sleep.)

The details all arranged,
Into our wings we changed
And flew to Earth as fast as we were able;
Snuck in, now well disguised,
Found (as we'd been advised)
The poor girl giving birth inside the stable.

The donkeys hee-ed and hawed,
Geese honked, the young lambs baa-ed,
And in the eaves the doves would not stop cooing;
My brother, now cow-faced,
Chomped on his cud and paced
(I hissed at him to quit the nervous mooing.)

We watched, the hours crept,
Of course nobody slept,
And even I'll admit I had the jitters.
He slipped out -- quite unsightly;
His mother held him tightly.
(It's odd that humans don't have bigger litters.)

I would have loved to bask;
But, well, I knew my task.
I crouched alert to watch for any danger.
Then, through the noise and bustling,
I heard the faintest rustling:
A hungry rat had crept inside the manger!

I sprang, my claws extending;
Leapt at the rodent, sending
It fleeing in a ball of frantic fur;
As Mary stopped her screaming
The boy cooed at me, beaming --
Well, after that how could I help but purr?

So now two months have passed;
The baby's growing fast.
Last evening, though, there was an urgent warning:
King Herod...well, he's got
A rather nasty plot.
They're heading off to Egypt in the morning.

It's tricky to decide --
Should I come for the ride?
It could be fun, as long as there are mice there;
He's such a gentle lad;
The trip won't be half bad.
(...Besides, I've heard they treat cats rather nice there.)