|
The Day After Christmas
from the Imagination of Tom Spruill
Twas the day after Christmas, when all through the stacks
Not a patron was stirring, not even the cat.
The schedule was hung on the partition with care,
In hopes that some librarians soon would be there.
Ol’ Cosmo was nestled all snug in his boat,
With remnants of catnip all over his coat.
With naught in his food bowl, nor in his gut,
He dreamt of fine vittles upon which to glut,
When out in the courtyard there arose such a furor,
“My humans have come back!” he’d never been surer.
Away to the window he flew like a flash,
And knocked over a plant pot that fell with a crash.
The scene outside made his wondering eyes narrow,
Just a sad, gloomy dove and eight tiny sparrows,
They tweeted and chirped and chattered and cooed,
Their feeder was empty! They, too, had no food!
Where’s Carrie? Where’s Mary? And Sarah and Vinson?
No Constance! No Colleen! Or Jessie or Jensen!
On to his perch on top of the green wall;
“They’ve gone away! gone away! gone away all!
To be sure, they could not have forgotten us!”
Why, the concept itself was purely ridiculous.
Just then a faint sound reached his keen ears;
Is that someone at the staff entrance I hear?
What is that jingling? Was it keys in a lock?
He dashed to the back room, a blur of white socks.
Someone there entered! Twas a person he spied!
In walked his friend, Tom, the Library Guy!
Tom petted and stroked and ruffled his fur;
Figure eights ‘round his legs, a meow and a purr;
To the break room he went and Cosmo did follow;
Dreaming of the food he would soon get to swallow.
Two kinds of dry food into one bowl he poured,
Chicken and turkey and tuna and more!
A can of wet food he proceeded to open,
Beef chunks in gravy, Cosmo was hopin’.
This wonderful feast he set on the floor,
A banquet of flavors and aromas galore!
A refill of water and his task was complete,
Tom left the break room and let Cosmo eat.
But he heard Tom exclaim, ere he walked out of sight—
“I must feed the birds, but to you a good night!”
Editor's note: Neither Cosmo the Library Cat nor the birds in the courtyard have
ever suffered an empty food dish. Library staff checks in several times a day during
closures to ensure everyone is well fed and watered.
| 
