Inspired By An Old Memory,

And By Eileen Waldron’s Wonderful Poem,

My Stray Cat.

If you haven’t read it,

You really should.

I was on assignment at a veterans’ hospital

In the City by the Bay – old San Francisco

But I had decided to stay way across the bay

At a quaint Mom and Pop motel near Sausalito

And thinking back on this incident

It was a very troubled time in my life

My first marriage was now falling apart

I was having a lot of anxiety about my wife

As I lay wide awake in my room unable to sleep

I soon heard a sound like scratching at my door

I sat bolt upright in that bed and listened intently

And soon, I heard incessant scratching once more

I jumped out of bed and opened that door

To find a huge shaggy black and grey cat

This very intriguing creature walked right in

Jumped on my bed, and there he now sat

I suddenly felt sorry for this homeless waif

And I quickly decided to let him stay the night

Little did I know that it was the other way around

He had somehow decided to assist me in my plight

As I crawled back into bed about 2 AM

He began purring softly, directly in my ear

It was truly like a hypnotic therapy session

I quickly fell fast asleep without pain or fear

When I awoke very refreshed the next morning

This strange cat was now scratching to be let out

I soon opened the door for him and he disappeared

This had been one strange incident without a doubt

I soon inquired about this feline at the front desk

And the elderly woman smiled, and gave me a wink

“Why, that’s old Clarence, our resident furry angel,

He’s been around these parts about forever, I think.

“Have you ever seen the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life?

Clarence was the angel who managed to save the day.

Our furry little Clarence likes to visit our guests in need,

His purrs come right from Heaven, is what some folks say!”

I stayed at that very intriguing old Mom and Pop motel

For another several weeks after furry old Clarence came

I never saw that very mysterious grey and black cat again

But after his visit, my life would truly never be the same

†2007, Mr. Ed