Hello! Welcome!
Last week, I officially introduced Griffin and Violet and why and how we use the word, “Nittens”, in our home. About a week and half earlier I had accidentally published Part 2. I ran a poll last week asking if Part 2 should be republished where it belongs in the story, and 74% wanted it published again in this time slot and this week, where it goes in the story. And so, I humbly present again, Ode to Nittens.
Ode to Nittens
(on their one month adoptiversary)
Hail gregarious Griffin! Bold and brave!
Wearing the colors of steel, of silver
With eyes that match.
He is the first to say “Hello!”
“What’s this? Can I play with it?”
“Where does this lead?”
“How do I get down from here?”
He claims to be unafraid of the dogs;
He can get within ten feet of one
(who is sleeping, of course!)
without bushing up his fur!
Griffin speaks in a light tenor voice.
I’ve never heard him speak a cross word.
He has a ready purr and can stand to be snuggled
all of a half minute,
before squirming
to be off and exploring again!
He is tiny, at almost four pounds
Yet he is unaware this is so.
He is quick, agile and athletic.
He is not a marksman; his aim needs some work.
Frontal assault and Crazy Ivan are his preferred modes of attack.
He rarely lies in wait;
He disdains that as “too sneaky!”
He will be the scout and the climber;
The one always on the kitchen counters,
The victor over unattended food,
The one who gets stuck in weird places
Just because
He had to see it!
(sotto voce)
Hail milady Violet, cautious, but ever curious.
She wears a velvety fluff-puff
As black as starless night.
Her eyes, a watchful steely grey.
She is content to let her brother go first
And make sure she know the threats.
She tells me she thinks he is silly.
“He thinks treats are shrimp-flavored toys!”
“He doesn’t know where the red dot lives!”
“Watch this: I’ll hide and bop him!”
Violet indulges Griffin, listening to his grand tales
of bravely standing up to the giant dog!
She gently teases him about how big the dog really is.
She gets big-eyed and says “Was he growling?”
She doesn’t tell him that she was there, too
And that sound was really just snoring.
And yet, she is the one who has actually dared to touch the dog.
It’s true: a nose to the pad of a hind foot of a sleeping dog.
And while an expeditious retreat ensued,
No fur was raised in the adventure!
Violet’s quiet voice is a rich contralto.
She has been heard saying “bad words”…
Mostly when the path of a poorly planned retreat
suddenly becomes through the water bowl!
She purrs the moment she is touched.
Sometimes she purrs when simply spoken to.
Her purr is deep…
A major third lower than Griffin’s
And together, they sing a major chord.
Violet is smaller than Griffin,
Although her fluff hides that well.
She is not quite three and a half pounds.
She is not as strong nor as agile as Griffin.
Jumps he makes easily can frequently
Take Violet two tries, or a little bit of a climb at the end.
Violet is interested in what makes things work:
“Look! The squeaky mouse is attached to a string! And…
The string is stuck to a stick! And that’s …
(looking back at the squeaky mouse)
Well, I’ll figure that out later!”
“Look! This turns on the…
Wait! That stuff is WET!
That’s water! Yow!
I’m outta here!”
(as she dashes off to the deepest, darkest corner of deep-safe-haven!)
When jumping from a precariously balanced stack of clothes, “Hey!
Where did that big pile of stuff that almost landed on me come from?
Oh…wait… (sniff, sniff) I was just lying in that stuff…”
(looking up to the launch site)
“Did I do that?
Wow.
Amazing.
I’m outta here!”
(as she dashes off to the deepest, darkest corner of deep-safe-haven!)
Violet fights like a Ninja. She waits in the dark…
Around corners, or behind any cover (no matter how small)
The tip of her tongue shows while she focuses.
When Griffin (or a human foot) walks by,
She strikes! Darting out from cover,
She delivers a deadly-accurate velvet-pawed BOPP!
Then laughs over her shoulder as she dashes away.
Violet will almost always follow Griffin’s lead.
She will let him discover the obvious threats and rewards
of nearly everything and then decide whether to follow.
I expect Griffin’s mishaps and adventures will arise from “What’s this?”
and Violet’s will arise from “Why?”
I expect Violet to become a Papa’s girl.
She seems to carry the spirit
of another beloved cat of his,
long across the rainbow bridge.
I think they share memory-echoes
that will grow over the years.
Ok, I know it’s not an ode. I know it’s not even any kind of poetry. Call it word-picture prose, if you want. The thing is that the first stanza for each nitten ran around in my head for more than a week before I wrote them down. They felt a little Camelot-ish to me. And so, Ode to Nittens is what I named this, long before I began writing it. This is actually the first piece I wrote about the nittens.
Forward link for those reading from the beginning: PWB Peeps: Nittens are in the House, Part 3 - First Exploration
It’s possible that I may be late today. I’m getting my second ouchie! I’ll be along as soon as I can to read comments and reply. In the meantime, try to behave and have fun!
This is Part 2 of a multiple part series called “Nittens are in the House!” Links to previous parts will appear at the end of each installment.
- Part 1 of “Nittens are in the House” -Prologue.