Fraulein Beethoven
When Stefan was just nine years old, he lived alone with me
A cheerful little chappie, in a world quite trouble-free
We were living then in Germany, up in the chilly north
Our lives were happy there and should remain like that henceforth
Until one day a nightmare came – a lethal diagnosis
Leukaemia was detected -with a merciless prognosis
Apart from chemotherapy and all that was involved
Stefan lost his lovely way of life – his world had quite dissolved
I bought him two small goldfish in the hope he’d find some pleasure
But goldfish aren’t the kind of pets to fill up hours of leisure
I couldn’t quite imagine they’d make my son ecstatic
Amid this human torture where his life was so traumatic
His enforced isolation was to evade a stray infection
Which didn’t do his soul much good – he sensed acute dejection
I knew a lady, Christa, whose own moggy had had kittens
They were extremely cute and she was clearly very smitten
While Stefan was at home one day, she brought a kitten past
And Stefan’s little world lit up, he’d found a friend at last
We thought it was a little boy and Stefan had decided
To call the kitten “Beethoven” – one can be so misguided!
A visit to the vet confirmed that “he” was now a “she”
So little Fraulein Beethoven became our ‘joie de vie’
Throughout the working week she spent the most part on her own
While Stefan stayed in hospital, also quite alone
Whenever it was possible he saw his little friend
She was his best companion, a true blessing, a godsend
When he was at his lowest ebb, he thrived just on her presence
She offered him just what she could – a spiritual essence
She snuggled up to let him know she loved him most intensely
To comfort him and cheer him up; it gladdened him immensely
When he felt slightly better he would tease his little friend
Beethoven just lapped it up – her mate was on the mend
She had exclusive rights to her young patient’s grateful heart
She was tolerant, long-suffering and actually quite smart
The first thing that he looked for when he managed to come home
Was his soulmate and curator – his four-legged , furry gnome
Five years along the line, found Stefan firmly in remission
We moved back home to Switzerland to take a new position
Around this time poor Christa had become extremely sickly
She needed a transplant, but they couldn’t do it quickly
We gave Beethoven back to her to keep her company
She cherished Christa day and night, that was the irony
It seems the cat’s own destiny was to help a lonely soul
She had the gift to feel their pain, give hope and to console
Christa waited many years to have her problem solved
And all the time her Beethoven was attentively involved
At 20 years old suddenly Beethoven’s life was ended
She’d done her job amazingly with the patients she’d befriended
She never asked for much in life, she simply tried to heal
Two very ailing people through their terrible ordeal
*
Our lives were fleetingly but happily interwoven
God bless our beautiful and compassionate Beethoven!
Photo: Pexels