The Cheeky Monkey team is in the middle of moving to a new home, please forgive us for not keeping up with daily poetry and stories during this busy period.
Hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly.
Thank you for your understanding.
Month: August 2023
Food tastes so much better with a view
We spent the weekend in St Michaels MD
A welcome retreat in a waterfront cottage
Breathtaking views of sunset over the creek
A place to do nothing except soak up the serenity
A trip into town for lunch and supplies
Bustling with tourists and preppy second homers
Galleries selling expensive artwork
Stores selling high end trendy furniture
The harbor bustling with expensive yachts
A sure sign of high net worth residents and visitors
Taking advantage of the two hour drive from the city
Close enough for a comfortable week end commute from the city
Far enough to be deep into the Eastern shore countryside
Devoid of city sky light pollution
The clear night sky is adorned with millions of stars
We enjoyed the company of good friends
Chatting well into the evening
The next morning we woke after sunrise
Watching ducks paddling in the creek
We felt like we were floating too
A hearty breakfast overlooking the water
Friendships were honored by breaking bread together
Food tastes so much better with a view
Abi takes her morning walk – Part 6 Finale
Abi took Gails advice and said nothing to Andrew
who spent more and more time out of the house
she noticed that Judith had stopped calling and texting her
how could my best friend do this to me she asked herself
Abi visited with Gail frequently
who was most impressed with Abis ability to understand the black cat
they would visit the woods together to talk with the other animals
while sending the back cat on reconnaissance missions
the black cat came to visit Abi at her home almost every day
they played games and watched TV together
Abi learned to understand the intricate details of cat language
which is a complex mixture of sounds and gestures
the black cat had an extensive vocabulary
and was really good at the most difficult crossword puzzles
they laughed to gather and made fun of folks who dont understand catspeak
Abi was most happy when Andrew was not around
she faked being pleased to see her husband when he arrived home
even though she despised him for cheating with her best friend
she never gave him or Judith any clues that she knew of his infidelity
having lost her first husband she had insisted on extra life insurance for Andrew
Abi took a break from her freelance writing work
the black cat encouraged her to write a novel
and gave Abi lots of ideas for the story
it was a murder mystery called she talked to animals
one evening there was a knock at the door
Abi opened it to find a policeman with a glum face
I have some bad news your husband has been killed in an accident
witnesses say he swerved when a cat ran in front of his vehicle
Abi received a very large check from the life insurance company
she snuggled with the black cat on her bed
the cat purred and asked Abi a question
now that we have dealt with Andrew what shall we do with Judith
Abi takes her morning walk – Part 5
Abi became very depressed after losing her baby
she could not focus on her work
spending a lot of time at home alone
Andrew was frequently away on business trips
Abi took her morning walk before writing in her diary
six months since losing my baby and still no sign of the black cat
later that afternoon a scratching noise caught her attention
she opened the door to find the black cat sitting on the step
What do you want she asked the cat
knowing that the cat understood and would communicate back
the cat ran towards the street and then paused to look back
so you want me to follow you said Abi
will this be a long or short walk she asked the cat
the cat immediately lay down outstretched
oh I see this will be a long walk said Abi who went inside to get her coat
the cat led her into town and stopped in a parking lot
what am I looking for asked Abi
the cat lifted a paw and pointed to a vehicle
Abi recognized Andrews car
the cat started to move again and Abi followed
a few blocks away the cat sat down in front of Judiths house
Abi kept out of sight and sent Andrew a text
she saw him in the window picking up his phone
the reply said working late tonight don’t wait up for me
Abi yelled at the cat take me to see Gail now
the cat took her to a large house nearby
Gail answered the door saying I have been worried about you
come inside and lets talk
Abi told Gail she thought she lived in the woods
I only visit there to talk with the animals laughed Gail
please tell me what I should do about Andrew cried Abi
Gail hugged her whispering we will let the black cat deal with that situation
Abi takes her morning walk – Part 4
Abi walked home from the pharmacy followed by the black cat
when she opened her front door the cat sat in the driveway
she knew the cat was there to find out if she was pregnant
I’ll tell you the results in s few minutes she yelled at the cat
she went inside to use the test kit returning a few minutes later
the cat was still sitting in the driveway
you can tell Gail I am pregnant she said smiling
the cat immediately took off and ran down the street
Abi sent Andrew a short text – congrats dad
he responded immediately with a happy face
they went to their favorite restaurant that evening to celebrate
Abi put her hand over the wine glass to stop the waiter pouring
Abi was the happiest she had ever been
she still walked every morning through the pregnancy
always looking along the trail for the mysterious black cat
who seemed to appear at every critical moment her life
Abi worked from home as a technical writer
preparing manuals and operating guides for medical equipment
she had never seen the equipment in use
until she went for an ultrasound check on her baby
Abi watched the technician type commands into the keyboard
she could have operated the machine herself
its ok you can tell me the sex
the technician smiled and said its a boy
Abi had been friends with Judith since her schooldays
Judith came round more often during the pregnancy
Abi got very tired easily and had to rest a lot
Judith would make dinner for the three of them and frequently stayed over
Abi woke up one morning in a hospital bed
she recognized the monitoring equipment beside her
from the sad faces around her she knew she had lost her baby
the black cat was watching from the hospital window
Abi takes her morning walk – Part 3
Abi was surprised by the marriage proposal prediction
its probably time to go now said Gail
you have a lot to think about
she told the cat to lead Abi back to the trail
Abi followed the cat who kept looking back to check on her
when they reached the trail the cat ran back into the woods
Abi spent the rest of the day thinking about her time with Gail
she wanted to tell everything Andrew but decided it was best to say nothing
she prepared a special dinner at home
Andrew was a little more attentive than usual
Abi was still not sure if she wanted to get married
she was only thirty seven and had been a widow for five years
Abi drank more wine than usual during dinner
hoping it would calm her nerves
they sat on the couch after the meal
Abi was both exited and afraid at the same time
Andrew got down on one knee to propose
Abi caught sight of the black cat sitting on the window sill outside
she hesitated for what seemed like an eternity
the cat looked on as Abi whispered yes
Abi did not see that cat the next day on the trail
she wanted to ask Gail a lot of questions
but was preoccupied in wedding planning
they got married in the late fall of that year
it was a small ceremony at a local venue with family and close friends
when it was time for Abi to say I do she saw the black cat sitting at the back
nobody else seemed aware of the cat
who ran away when Abi uttered those memorable words
Abi had no children from her first marriage
Andrew begged her to start a family
a few months later she was at the pharmacy buying a pregnancy test kit
she glanced out of the window behind the checkout and saw the black cat
Abi takes her morning walk – Part 2
come Abi sit down said the old lady pointing to a tress stump next to her
Abi sat down and asked who are you
the old lady smiled and said my name Gail is and I see you walking near here every day
I told my cat to bring you here this morning
Abi had a strange feeling that she knew Gail
who was very well dressed and surprisingly clean looking
despite apparently living like a hermit
thats quite an intelligent cat you have there said Abi
oh she understands everything we say
she tells me everything thats going on around here
Abi looked at the cat who was now purring on Gail’s lap
Gail told Abi that the cat can hear our thoughts also
I know you are doubting so lets do a demonstration said Gail
I want to you think of an object a color and a number
just repeat those three words in your head please
Abi went along with the party trick
the cat purred more and Gail listened with closed eyes
she tells me its a black car with the number eleven
Abi was amazed but still skeptical and asked for another try
this time let me just think of something random
she though about todays headline news and her breakfast
the cat purred more as Gail listened
you ate eggs for breakfast while listening to the news about an earthquake
and you are now even more curious what this is all about
Abi felt this whole experience was surreal
an old lady living in the woods with a mind reading cat
I suppose you know all about my life then said Abi
has the cat been watching me at home
the cat purred more as Gail shed a tear and said
you live alone and you are often sad since your husband died
you have found a new love but you are afraid of commitment
his name is Andrew and he will ask you to marry him after dinner this evening
Abi takes her morning walk
Abi took her usual early morning walk
it was a warm summer day with low humidity
wild flowers were in bloom
birds were happily singing
taking a short trail through the woods
a path she had taken many times before
pausing to look at the flowers and butterflies
something caught her eye in the distance
a black cat moving towards her
the cat came close and sat down
she reached down an petted the animal
who responded with loud purring
whats your name kitty she asked
the cat circled between her legs
before starting to walk along the trail
looking back frequently to make sure she followed
Abi always took the left fork in the clearing
the cat went to the right and started crying
it seemed like the cat was leading her to something
the cat stopped crying when she followed along the right fork
the trail became narrower and was obviously hardly used
briars caught her exposed legs
this better be worth it Abi said to herself
hoping she would not regret this adventure
the terrain became denser and the trail disappeared
she was climbing over fallen trees covered in moss
after a while reaching a clearing
in the middle stood a small shelter made from logs
the cat ran straight inside the shelter
she hesitated but stepped inside the dark damp place
an elderly lady dressed in black was sitting in the corner
welcome Abi she said I have been waiting for you
A still morning calm
A still morning calm
birds are singing
The sun peeks over the horizon
A gentle pink in the skies
The world slowly awakes to the melody in the air
An orchestra of birds singing as one
Eagerly awaiting the new day
Meanwhile humans are waking up
None of them are singing
Most are oblivious to the dawn chorus outside
As they reach for their smartphones
To escape into a virtual world
The birds are still singing
As the human chorus erupts
Clicks pings and tweets fill their air
Earbuds shut out the real world
Human speech is dying forgotten skill
As thumbs spell out texts and posts
The birds keep singing
Nature has no need for social media
Who bit the Apple logo
I am looking at my Apple computer
studying the apple logo
noticing that somebody took a bite out if it
wondering why it was just one bite
did it taste really bad
perhaps it was rotten
was it a bite or a byte
not a big enough apple for a megabyte
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 