Hello, readers fair and few!

As you may realize, yesterday was my brother’s birthday. What you may not know is that it was also the day our lovely grandparents + aunt, Grandmaita, Grandpa, and Tia, left. So bittersweet.

Since I last wrote, I’ve had some fun times with Renee, who stayed with us, and Sam, who had returned to Nairobi (though unfortunately, there wasn’t much overlap between Renee’s visit and Sam’s), watched Finding Dory with the Mundy’s (is that how you’d say it?) (It was pretty awesome, considering it was about fish, of all things!), and as I mentioned before, Grandmaita, Grandpa, and Tia came for a visit! Also, very sadly, Sam and her fam moved to a WHOLE ‘NOTHER CONTINENT!!!

So with family extended, we did a whole load of fun stuff, from the Giraffe Center to the Lake Naivasha cabins to Olivia, Mom, and Tia going to the Maasai Mara. And before all that, Olivia, my sister dear, graduated from RVA! Which means a gap year and then–COLLEGE! *gasp*

In honor of all this excitement, and the cat that is curled up so adorably on my lap, I have decided to write an ode to Cats, Brother, and Other Relations. What is an ode? I don’t know, let me go look it up… You know what, this isn’t a real ode and no one’s going to read it, so never mind.

Ode to Cats, Brothers, and Other Relations

Soft black thing

On my lap

Furry kitty

Taking a nap

Small and pretty

Raven is king

Leave a rat

In brothers’ room

He’s away

Make things go boom

Izzy is at play

Ruler is cat

Visitors he hasn’t met

He’s not afraid for long

Make friends with Tia

Loudly sing his song

For Grandmaita, Grandpa, Olivia

Definitely a pet

Raven, Raven, soft and fat

Purring, kneading, wants some love

Hide from friendly dog

On the keyboard, give him a shove

An absolute attention hog

I love my cat

There. Is it an ode? Not really. Does it rhyme? Sure. Does it make sense? You decide.

Goodbye, no trace

I’ll be back

Cut me some slack

~Z Artist that is Grace

(Who can’t write poems without help from the internet

What is a dragnet?)

My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. ~Psalm 45:1, NIV