Mabelline the dancing queen

was real sweet, she didn’t mean
to make a mess,

but when she saw
the earth, she couldn’t stop her paw

from digging down and shovelling up
mountains of the rich, wet stuff

until the plant sagged toward the ground
and silt and soil piled all around.

Then, with her tail puffed up for joy,
Mabel grabbed her favourite toy

and threw herself, while Mommy slept,
entranced

into the dirt dance.

~

In the morning, before dawn,
still dark, not a lightbulb on,

stumbling awake, Mom promptly trod
directly through those piles of sod.

She tracked them through the house and then
she turned and tracked them back again!

Wondering at her kitten’s glee,
Mom flicked the switch, so she could see…

and after she had sighed, and wept

took her broom and carefully swept…

while Mabel
entranced

threw herself into the dirt dance.

~

Audio version: http://bit.ly/1tWqlOD

Written when Mabel was just wee, and published for her sixth birthday, 2014

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