A Visit from St. Cindy Lou

A Visit from St. Cindy Lou

The year our dear Grinch lost his very best friend…

R.I.P. Max

Twas the night before December and all through the cave

not a who what was stirring, not even a who snake.

When out of the darkness rang a jingle so shrill,

the Grinch woke with a start screeching “Help! I need a pain pill!”

Woe, there was no one to hear his echoey plea,

and even worse, he had to pee!

With one hand to hold it while he raced to the loo,

the other just wasn't big enough to drown out those

jingling, tingling, swindling Blues...

It was common in Whoville to hear bells in your sleep,

long before Christmas, as close as Whoalean.

For the Who's had no calendars, or watches or czars,

just heartdars and wind calls and twinkling stars.

But this year’s ringing wasn't welcome on these Grinchy Grinch ears,

No not welcome at all, this Christmas calling “I'm near!”

For though the Grinch's heart had grown three times out of his chest,

one Christmas ago… he had his friend Max.

All these years since his moment of Who hate shattering Truth

the Grinch just loved Christmas,

it was his fountain of youth!

He'd hear the bells ringing and wake green giddy with bliss,

then get to work quickly constructing his gifts.

Pot bellied hot holders, slippery socks,

candles that coo, self-portrait Grinch rocks,

burping dolls, barking balls,

tickle me Grinchies with real laughter bombs!

Yes the Grinch had turned into a Grinch Clause it is true.

The Spirit of Who Love had made him anew.

But no one foretold how this new heart would feel.

No, no Who had mentioned the dark nights that come with the deal.

And so when the whirling wind blew in a silence so loud,

the day Max lay cold and all out of howl,

was the day the Grinch felt his new heart break its first break,

three sizes bigger than any earthquake…

“What is this?!” raged the Grinch

“What could it be,

this torment, this stupid no good very bad…

Nothing!

Go away!”

Max had been his best friend through lightning and dark.

Even in the days before the Grinch grew his heart,

Max had been loyal and mangy and true,

and now he was gone... and the whole Who world seemed gone too.

So when the bells began ringing in his tormented head

the Grinch had been stewing alone in his den

He had missed all the sock exchanges,

the purr fests and hula hoop races,

the popcorn ball fights and ice cream cone mazes.

And morest than all of these moments he'd missed

his closest Who friends…

the most hardest to find in that blue-green gloomy abyss.

Day after day the grinch sheltered away,

binging on Wholu’s 56 seasons of Decay.

His ear hair had grown to the tips of his toes.

Pine needles hung from the sappy nub of his nose.

Then quite suddenly, out of some new hue of blue-pink-corn fondue,

came a “Knock knock”...”You Who!”

And despite the brightly lit sign on the door,

the sign that read “Not home, Go away, Beware of the Boar,!”

the Grinch couldn't help it, not one little bit.

He clawed his way up through the mighty mud of his pit,

piles of holey socks full of rocks and mad broken toys,

all the torn droolful memories of Grinch and Max joy.

Until he’d almost forgotten why he’d come so far, to this door,

when a whisper of bright yearning rushed right to his core.

Opening it creaking, he peered through a crack

and saw the whole of Whoville

lined up down the mountain! Every last Who, even the Who Lion!

had come by the light of one little girl,

with twinkling stars for eyes and a heart made of Who gold.

“Cindy Lou!”

“I knew it!” She said as she bound through the crack,

throwing her arms round the Grinch's neck.

“You're here. I just knew you'd come back.”

“Come back? From where?” Said the Grinch with a huff.

“You were the one who ran off! You and Max both left me here in my cave

for ages and ages to hollers and rage!”

“Oh my dear Grinch I was with you all along, just a heart call away,

I heard your pain...

But then you wore heart plugs and hollered so loud

for the hurt to stop hurting there was no way for me to get in, or out.

I was trapped and suffered long as you did

from not being heard, not being felt.

And then I remembered my very first break,

the waves of good grief

lonely laps, dorkly despair,

even mean mumbles and the pulling out of my Who hair

had to be held and had to be lost

to find my way back to the shore of...

Remembering

Remembering how very near I am to something Awesome I forgot!

This Something you'll find too

just as soon as you do!

Don't worry dear Grinch

I Love you!

Now how's about taking a break today,

As you can see all of Whoville is hiking and gay

...except for little Bou Who who's allergic to snow

and is wearing a mask, and hates mask wearing you know,

and Ben Who who burnt his big toe

toeing buns from the oven when his hands were full.

And really there are lots of other feelings abound

that'll make a good warm slurpy we'll all share on the way down!

You are only our first stop! There are many more to come

and with each one, You'll see

how very really Never truly you were ever Alone..."

And with that the Grinch's chest began to tremble and shake.

Glistening thoughts of Max rushed out in teary wave after wave.

And Cindy Lou's did too

and Bou Who’s and Ben Who’s and Lilly Who Seus'

until all the hearts of Whoville were melting so much

that the very Who Earth started to hum a whole new Max Love song.

Just then an adorable Angel appeared,

in the form of a red nosed chipmunk, to sit near the Grinch's left ear,

squeaking “Now Bashful! Now Bouncy! Now Boo Who and Trixter!

On Drooly! On Moany and Soulfuly Bitten!

To the top of Mt. Budhawhoo! To the top of Wuzall!

Now come along, come along, come along all!"

So off to the other lost Who porches, their feelings they flew

singing “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good boo hoo

when you need to!”

Just be sure to remember your 💜 Cindy Lou tissue.

Happy and All the other feelings you feel Holidays and beyond to You!

~Oohna Aileen Hwyl

Inspired by all of the St.s in my life, and the soul quenching knocks, soft and loud, that come when I open to them.