* This may strike you odd as a tribute,
but anything can trigger a cherished memory – anything!
So, today I choose the amusing over the maudlin.
When the Cheshire Cat Comes to Visit
When the Cheshire Cat comes to visit,
And only his smile shows up,
You really must grin and bear it,
Or he’ll eat your breakfast up.
Oh the Cheshire Cat is sneaky,
You’ll never hear him come.
It’s hard not to feel he’s creepy,
And if he meows, he’ll strike you dumb.
But what the Cheshire Cat is after
Is the milk that’s in your bowl,
If you let him, he’ll lick it up faster
Than a panther, which is exactly his goal.
Oh, that smile will sit at your elbow,
And pretend not to notice the milk,
But when you look away he’ll eye the bowl –
Look back, and he’s as blasé as silk.
Oh, Cheshire Cat, oh, Cheshire Cat,
I love your invisible hat,
I know you are playful and that,
But your are such a mischievous brat!
I thought I saw a Cheshire Cat,
A Cheshire Cat with a grin,
But when I looked, it was only a hat,
And laughter came out of its brim.
But the space is filled to the brim
With the memory of a Cheshire Cat.
Hey! Wait! What happened to my milk?
Where do you think it has gone?
Oh! Darn you, mischievous Cheshire Cat!
You’re never near when you’re wanted,
And we’re left wondering where you are at –
Then you grin and make us feel haunted.
— —
My Ann had a bit of a Cheshire Cat smile.
Sometimes when I, or one of our sons or grandsons, were acting silly for her – just goofin’ around – she would give us that comical frowny grin of amused disapproval. That was a beam of heaven for us.
I thought about that the morning I was playing with my breakfast and this grin began to show up in my granola. I gave it a little push here and a little press there and…and I had to chuckle.
So I took its picture, for soon it would disappear, just as the Cheshire Cat’s mysterious grin faded.
And our little cat did indeed sit at my elbow looking, Oh, so nonchalant!
So go ahead. Be a kid again. Play with your food. Who’s gonna tell you not? You’re loved one might give you that Cheshire Cat grin. Gather up the memories.
I love you still, my Ann,
I love you with all my will.
I keep trying to say goodbye, Ann,
But doggone it I love you still.
I try to move on and kick the can, Ann,
But I still haven’t had my fill.
So I’ll continue to try to amuse youse,
And I promise not to live with the blues.
Happy Birthday Ann.
— —
