The Merchant’s Cat

6 am, the merchant wakes up,

Small cabin covered by thickets,

On the dead end of forest Angea

——-

He Tosses and turns in his bed, 

Squeaky sound it produces

Timber gasping for breath

Squinted eyes, he checks his watch. 
——-

2 minutes remaining to jump out of his bed

Suspended by two sisal shoals,

One corner of the roof to another. 

The ceiling is halfway in,

Sagging in and periodically producing an eerie sound,

Swinging right as the wind blows hither,

And left when thither. 

——-

Reminding the merchant, apart from rent being due.

His ceiling was overdue for repair.

And just like his cabin, 

He thought his life was in shambles. 

He lays with his back facing the roof, 

———

He notices cobwebs and a small hole 

That allowed only two lucky rays of sunlight 

He thought of how he would make a sale, 

Before the sun goes down

Or he would come back to a crumbling celing, 

And will have nothing to feed his cat. 

———-

The calendar on 13th August 1457

Let it be a lucky day, 

He muttered silently. 

—–

‘13th is never a lucky day in Babylon”

The wife interrupted 

Tea awaits for breakfast 

And 20 kilos of Gold to sell

——-

If we don’t get lucky today.

She continued…

Emperor Michaelson though sent the army

To slay those who owe him more than fifty denaris

And we owe him hundred and twenty. 

—–

The Merchant’s cat comes and wobbles its tail 

And jumps on his shoulders,

It meows to wake him up.

He jumps off bed.

His footsteps Echoing through the small cabin. 

———

“The market, what perceiveth of it today?”

He rings his friend on a phone booth, 

That hung on the left side, almost touching the floor.

And swinging like a pendulum

—–

“Buyers, not many. Sellers unlimited in number.

Comest though with a strategy?

Today Oust win not without it.”

His friend groans

—–

Thanks to you my learned friend. 

He hung up, 

Wondering how he could make a grand sale, 

To offset of all his debts. 

Impossible!

He resolved he would stay in the house

————

For five days now he went and not made a sale. 

The merchant’s cat beckoned, 

Wagging its tail as it led the man out of the house. 

Thank you my cat, I’ll try one more time 

This time I’ll let you go with me . 

‘Good omen, you may bring today.’

He muttered 

—————

————–

The Richest man in Babylon wakes up, 

Stares at his magnificent ceiling. 

Full of Gold and allowing zero rays of sunshine

Perhaps we need a new roof. 

He whispers to his wife

“I’ll go out and buy gold from the market .”

—————-

He left for the market with his two majestic horses,

And hundreds of soldiers on horsebacks.

Paving the way and pushing aside sellers and beggars, 

Who lined up at the front gate 

Of his magnificent palace, that stood at the center of forest Angea. 

————-

This market is just the same, 

No one would ever buy from us. 

Too many sellers and only one man to buy Gold. 

The merchant thought as he took his cat

And placed him on his shoulders. 

Watching the king’s chariots leave the Palace,

Some people coming to see the King’s chariots,

But most standing outside sell him their gold,

———-

Whips can be heard as soldiers charge the horses to speed, 

And wails as some of them lash the sellers, 

Who tried obstructing the carriage, 

Trying to show the king they had the gold he needed. 

————-

The King suddenly orders the chariots to stop

When he spots the merchant,

Hopelessly carrying kilos of gold on the left,

And the cat on his shoulder. 

————

You valueth the cat as much as gold

I will though buy your gold, 

And giveth you fifty kilos more,

And ten of my best chariots will go with you

To go sell to King Asdak.

Who ordereth for one hundred kilos, 

Keep thy profits to oneself. 

He told him and rode back to the palace

————

As he went back that evening, 

The merchant thought of his cat. 

Resilience, determination and grit, 

Sometimes is what could get you out of bed.

To a lucky day full of serendipity,

And cover up for the unlucky days. 

———–

He renamed his cat Resilience

And thought its the best sales strategy 

The merchant’s cat can help you achieve anything

—–

Especially in the face of adversity.

And this was written in the archives of Babylon

13th August 1497

Well encrypted.