It happened on the equinox,

    The day of equal day and night.

My chase was of a red-haired fox.

    The quarry, steady in my sight.

As evening fell, we had a smoke,

    While seated on a bench of stone.

I waited for the masterstroke,

    And ventured that I drive her home.

Arriving at her humble house,

    I spied her cat upon a chair.

Both black and white, it feared no mouse.

    A piebald pussy with soft hair.

At long last, in the bedroom rear,

    We clasped each other, then fell back.

And as I thought the end was near,

    I heard the bed staves break and crack.

A high-pitched cry from underneath,

    That cat then scat, with broken tail.

Its hissing, with white pointed teeth,

    Had turned my lady’s flushed face pale.

When driving home, after the vet,

    The cat’s tail plastered in a cast,

I knew I’d lost a winning bet,

    Because the special mood had passed.

end