About two weeks ago, I was really pleased to announce that my book “Just Thinking” was officially released.

The book is a collection of verses written over a number of years and it is my sincere hope that readers will be able to relate to the manner in which I wrote them. If a piece was emotional to me, I would hope that it could also be emotional to them. If I have incorporated situations or circumstances which I found thought-provoking, it is hoped that they will also be encouraged to pause and ponder.

I have had no formal education in verse but I do, however, know how I feel and what motivates me to write. I write honestly. My writings are, quite simply, me

I am expecting that I will soon be able to record more presentations of some of the pieces from the book however, in the meantime, the link below goes to a reading of “Skeeta’s Legacy”. Ray has a passionate dislike of cats, and yet Skeeta (a large Siamese) could well have saved his life.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=s7Uqp5iNkPs

“Skeeta’s Legacy”

(Copyright Colin Chappell 2017)

Skeeta was a Siamese cat,
Of distinction, so we thought.
She was rather unlike her breed.
Friendly… and quite large;
I had known a few Siamese,
But… none had traits like these.
* * *
She would travel in our car,
On top of the front seats,
And clearly enjoying the ride.
Swaying forwards and backwards;
Sideways on the turns;
We would laugh… often until we cried!
* * *
Then one day, she clearly had changed.
Her clean toilet habits had gone.
Something was wrong we were sure.
She used to be meticulously clean,
But a test revealed leukemia,
With no treatment… no cure.
* * *
After living with us
For only three months,
Dearest Skeeta was put to sleep.
But she left her mark,
Indelibly on my heart.
Memories that I would keep.
* * *
She went to a better place,
To join her kind and be without pain,
Where cats are happy and free.
To be as I’d want her to be,
But Skeeta left a legacy behind,
Unbeknown at the time to me.
* * *
Many years later when Ray moved in,
He tested positive for heartworm.
After only three months in our home,
What were our options? What to do?
A very serious condition,
And he could not fight it alone.
* * *
We could return him, or put him to sleep.
We could do nothing, which would eventually kill him.
What would make the most sense?
For such a short and unhappy life,
An expensive course of treatment,
But… could we justify the expense?
* * *
The treatment he may not even survive
But… shouldn’t we at least try?
For perhaps survive he would.
Shouldn’t we give him a chance?
A chance for his life to fulfill?
To live out his life being loved?
* * *
Euthanizing would give him peace,
But he was not even three years old,
And his earlier life seemed hard and alone.
Surely even a dog has a right
To fight for his life,
In a warm, loving and caring home.
* * *
To return him to the shelter
Raised problems of another sort.
Who would adopt a very sick Ray?
Who would want his vet bills?
Who would open up their home to him?
Who would invite him to stay?
* * *
During these dilemmas, an inner voice
Reminded me of Skeeta long ago.
With no hope of a cure in sight;
How she was put down;
Her future sealed by a disease,
Which cheated her out of her life!
* * *
But this time was different.
Ray did have a chance
If treatment was started right away.
The decision just had to be made
And then hope for the time,
When once again… he could play.
* * *
Ray will never know
What influenced his future,
Or how it came to be…
That a cat… of all creatures,
May have saved his life.
That was Skeeta’s legacy!