There was once an old lady

Named Betty C. Smith,

Who lived in a house

Between Fourth Ave. and Fifth.

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She spent most of her day

Sitting inside alone,

No family or friends

She was all on her own.

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And then one day

She went out to the store,

And noticed a small shadow

Run right past her door.

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It was none other than

A small black cat,

She said to herself,

“Would you look at that?”

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“Come here, kitty kitty,”

She said with glee,

But scared as it was

Away it would flee.

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“That poor little kitty

Just wants a snack,

I’ll put some food out

So it will come back.”

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And that’s what she did

Day after day,

On a nice white plate

On full display.

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But the little black cat

Was nowhere to be found,

Old Betty was sad

That it wasn’t around.

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One day, two days,

Three days passed,

No kitty was seen

When finally at last,

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The small black shadow

Scurried up to her door,

And with a smol meow

Said, “Can I has some more?”

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Old Betty laughed

As the cat came near,

“I’ll call you Shadow

Since you like to disappear.”

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But that’s not the end

Of our little tale,

Because Betty put food out

Each day without fail.

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First it was Shadow,

Who came up to her stoop,

But then others came

All in a group.

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Shadow, Ginger,

Butter, and Willy,

Laughing, Betty said,

“You cats are so silly!”

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Old Betty was happy

For the first time in awhile,

Her life had a purpose

And that made her smile.

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She woke up each day

Ready to feed the cats,

And give their little heads

Small little pats.

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This went on for years

Until Betty’s luck took a turn,

She became very sick

You’ll be sorry to learn.

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She was stuck in bed

In her old age,

With no one to help

At life’s late stage.

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Ginger was worried,

“Did we do something wrong?”

“I don’t think so,” Shadow answered,

“Let’s sing her a song.”

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Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow,

Meow meow meow meow

Meow meow meow meow.

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“What is that ruckus?”

Betty’s neighbor said,

“There’s four cats outside

That want to be fed!”

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So Betty’s good neighbor

Mr. Gary Malone,

Gave her a ring

On his telephone.

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“Hello Betty,

I hope you are well,

There’s cats calling for you

From what I can tell.”

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“Hi Gary,

Yes, I’ve been filled with dread,

You see I’m very sick

And I can't leave my bed.”

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“Oh no, that’s terrible,”

Gary said with a yelp,

“Is there anything I can do

To give you some help?”

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The two of them spoke

For quite a long time,

Then Gary lent a hand

On his own dime.

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He got tons of cat food

And a big cat house,

And a bunch of cat toys

That all looked like a mouse.

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He took care of the cats

While Betty was sick,

“Don’t worry about a thing,

Just get well quick.”

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Mr. Gary Malone

Then told other neighbors,

About Betty’s poor health

And all of his labors.

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“Well we can help too,”

The entire neighborhood said,

And then very quickly

The message spread.

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Before Betty knew it

Her house was filled,

With cats and neighbors

And she was thrilled.

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Day by day

Her health improved,

She said, “Thank you all so much,

I feel quite moved.”

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There will be days

Without a doubt,

When you don’t feel like

Putting cat food out.

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But do it anyway

Because you never know,

How an act of kindness

May grow and grow.