Response by Defendant: Mr. Cat in the Hat to Suit Brought by Plaintiff: Mother of Sally and Brother
The Defendant, Mr. Cat in the Hat, addresses the allegations of entering private property without permission to perpetrate a scam against the family led by the Plaintiff, the Mother.
Imagine my shock
When did I receive
The letter from lawyers
You’d thought to deceive
You’d not asked me over
Your lawyers did say
Never asked me at all
On that wet soggy day
A scam I discern
Is for what you now sue
And a jail term you’ve asked for
Though I haven’t a clue
What crime I’ve committed
For no harm was done
Your children alone
Simply weren’t having fun
From small children it’s true
I gained entry that day
Yet they knew they could trust me
No crime I must say
Alone, I must underscore
No adult near
To care for their needs
Or conquer their fear
Though I’m not now a parent
Still this do I know
You can’t leave them alone
Just so you can go
To the gym or the store
or perhaps on a date
I don’t mean to insult
Or suggest you should wait
But then really what is this?
And what’s all this fuss?
By the time you returned
There wasn’t a muss
The fish swam quite happily
The rooms were all clean
There was nothing that broke
Not even a screen
No longer so bored
For your children and I
Played all sorts of games
Not tricks, that’s a lie
I’m responsible, yes
Though the children aren’t mine
My references are spotless
You can check them online
I come and I go
when there’s ever a need
And parents expect me
To fill in with speed
I don’t charge for my services
A labor of love
In all that I do
Just ask those above
My boss sings my praises
Of that there’s no doubt
From the rafters he’ll sing
Of my prowess he’ll shout
I’m bonded and licensed
I care for them all
There simply aren’t any
Too young or too small
Too wild or too crazy
With energy to spare
Hyperactive, rambunctious
Zooming here, zooming there
Or the quiet ones
Soft spoken who never complain
Who eat all their veggies
No need to explain
And all in between
Of all ilks, age and size
And energy levels
Unknowing or wise
I go here, take care there
With no thought of myself
Never take a day off
Put my needs on the shelf
But now I must ask
What you thought would occur
Your youngsters alone
Whom a gangster might lure
I do not mean to frighten
But merely point out
That tragedy could strike
Of that there’s no doubt
Your children are precious
Not the means to an end
To sue for said damages
And charges append
You must care for them carefully
With fun guaranteed
They must play and be silly
Their souls must be freed
But Left all by themselves
On such cold rainy days
To look out of windows
Will bring on malaise
It’s on you as their parent
To see to their needs
And not leave them alone
Then sue he who sows seeds
Of all that delights
Though responsible, too
And they learned from my antics
I can assure you
So look to your own house
And put it to rights
Before you look elsewhere
To blame or start fights
I won’t bankroll your lifestyle
And know that I know
For lawyers I have too
I know where you go
Cease all legal actions
Abandon this scheme
Not a penny I’ll give you
No matter how loud you scream
It’s your children at stake
Once these years have gone past
You will not get them back
And they definitely won’t last
Enjoy the time given
Your attention they need
Don’t waste years on courts
It’s for them that I plead
There is no more to say
So I’ll close just with this
Hold your children’s hands tightly
And follow your bliss.
Respectfully Yours,
The Cat in the Hat
Natalie Frank (Taye Carrol) has had work featured in Haunted Waters Press, Weirdbook Magazine, Siren’s Call Publications, Lycan Valley Press and Zero Fiction among others. Her poetry has been featured a several anthologies. She is the Managing Editor for Novellas and Serials at LVP Publications.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like reading the following ones:
You can also find links to all of the articles, stories, fiction and poetry I publish on Medium here. Thanks for reading!
