Tuesday 28 November 2023

R.I.P. Hansel Carlos

 IN MEMORIAM

Hansel Carlos

Born: 3rd June 2023

Died: 26th November 2023 (est.)

Found Dead: 28th November 2023 (2330 hours)

Probable Cause of Death: Struck On The Right Side Of The Head By An Unknown Vehicle 

Eulogy

Your twin sister, 

Gretel,

Went missing not too long ago,

And now here you are,

Dead.

How you managed to find your way back, 

From the scene of the road accident

To the spot you were found earlier tonight,

Dead but not stiff,

Decomposed but not maggot-infested,

Yet smelling strongly of decay,

Underneath the lounge chair in my room

Is beyond comprehension.

You would have been killed instantly,

A blow like that,

To the side of the head

With such force your eyeballs

Were knocked somewhat out of their sockets,

Yet you managed to find your way back

To where you were found earlier tonight.

How, may I ask, did you accomplish such an impossible feat?

Did some unseen hand lift up your motionless body

And bring it back here to where you were found

Purely by accident?

It couldn't have been one of the neighborhood residents

 From that side of the road,

Surely, 

Who would have come a-calling outside the gate 

To report a dead cat,

Assumed to be one of yours, dear Neighbor,

As has happened in the past,

Twice, actually, 

Not very long ago either.

How nice.

Yes, how nice of your guardian angel

To bring your dead body back to me

For burial

After allowing you to die on the road

Like a dog

Hit by a car

Gleefully.

Did the driver enjoy hitting you?

Was he, or she, spurred on by an excited child

In the backseat

Perhaps

Who steered his or her aim as he or she drove

Perhaps?

Let's ask the one who, 

As surely as the sun rises in the east

And sets in the west,

Knows the circumstances of your death,

Your sloppy guardian angel.







R.I.P. Amadea Carlos

 IN MEMORIAM

Amadea* Carlos

(*Latin for 'Loved by God')

Born: 18th May 2023

Died: 28th November 2023

Cause of Death: Illness of an Unknown Nature

Eulogy

Never in my life have I seen a cat 

That refused to lie down and die 

Like any other sick and dying cat

Until now.

The manner in which you fought

The Angel of Death

Right until the very end

Was astounding.

Had you been a soldier,

Your enemies would have been vanquished

One by one,

Wave after wave,

By the last man left standing,

Gravely wounded but still determined to fight

Until the last bullet was fired,

O You Who Refused To Lay Down Quietly And Die.

What strength,

What determination,

Never seen before

In a cat

That refused to give in 

Like a good sick and dying cat

And just die.

Death was unworthy of one like you.

If anyone deserved to live,

It was you.

You were once loved by God, 

When he snatched you away from the Angel of Death

Who had you in his deadly embrace, 

But not this time,

But who are we to say anything 

But hold our tongues

As he is God and it is his right 

To taketh as freely as he giveth

Just as it is the potter's right

To make a pot so beautiful the world gasps in awe

Or smash it to pieces

Without a moment's notice

If the mood so suited him.

Better to have been loved even once by God

Than be cursed a thousand times in a fiery pit

Where

'The worm does not die

The fire is not quenched."

(Mark 9:48)

I wish I had more tears for you,

Beloved Pussycat,

But however I may try,

The taps have all run dry.





R.I.P. Hansel Carlos

 IN MEMORIAM Hansel Carlos Born: 3rd June 2023 Died: 26th November 2023 (est.) Found Dead: 28th November 2023 (2330 hours) Probable Cause of...