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********** ********* I found you in a tall bush your stump of a tail quivering whiskers burned off some swill-whiskey-drunk-man had put his cigarette out on your wee striped face you were not on my lease but I felt compelled to take you in I had to... as if you were my "no other choice..." and eventually, you became my new reason to live you taught me what it was like to be small, vulnerable a fact I'd forgotten because it had been too painful-- the loud words and scolding worlds of the universe are quite useless aren't they, my new little cat-boy? small kittens deserve patience and an abundance of love-- even as mistakes and mischief are as common together as kittens born in the spring patience, I thought ought to be your abundance the alcoholic neighbor who lived on 2nd floor caddy-corner from our front door, (who once no holds-barred-wrestled his ex-wife naked in the hallway) told me : "cats don't understand vitriol no the contents of people-lectures..." "but, they understand your tone, abundantly, so its best if you spoke more kindly to your new kitten... indulged him a little more...." TLP, my little one, better understood the sound of love and of busy-ball toys and proffered spoonfulls of vanilla yogurt and dragging my dirty underwear out of the hamper and lastly, of unraveling unused rolls of toilet pape, transforming them into white confetti cloud formations you relished too in all the smelliness in my apartment and in smelling me up... and how you moved in to my life... at first you nuzzled in near my feet then you claimed my right fleshy hip eventually you squirmed your way up a sort of invisible ladder into my arms where you laid claiming the crook at night we shared our secrets while your ears flickered backwards as I breathed in the warm musty scent of you our mutual breathing the bellows which lulled us to sleep on your last day on earth you ran into the bathroom with something so important on your mind good-bye as I was bathing in the claw-foot tub trying to get ready for work.... you placed both of your striped paws on the tub edge opposite me-- letting out a wounded yowl so I cooed at you and gently kissed on top of your forehead and called your name and nicknames when I stepped out of the tub not minutes afterwards... your life-less body and your bottle-green eyes wide open staring up into the eternity of space one bent paw backwards the other extended and reaching.. one half of my heart fell away knocking furiously at a neighbors door. I begged them to verify what I thought I'd seen --grey death stealing my treasure her silent nod confirmed you were gone-- stunned I wondered where did you go? the next day with all of your family pictures, the busy-ball a tuft of all of our hair Lucky's Buddy's Mine and carried you to your resting place the homemade quilt your shroud TLP you taught me about what it meant love and commit and play harder how there could be another day after a bad one I've never quite accepted that sad one and carried with me its remnants as a bereaved Mother would carry her child how often you visit me still LEGAL COPYRIGHT FOR THIS POEM. 7:14am PST 1/14/2022 TIME/DATE STAMPED THIS POEM MIGHT EXIST HERE IN ANOTHER FORM ON ANOTHER DAY...BUT THIS IS THE NEW FORM/DAY. TIGGER IS STILL VERY MUCH A PART OF ME AND ALSO FOR THIS WRITER MELISSA A. HOWELLS WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD AS MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT IT...HAD YOU NOT COME INTO HER LIFE AND ALSO FOR THIS LEGALLY COPYRIGHTED AND REGISTERED SITE TITLE MELOO STRAIGHT FROM HER TILT-A-WORLD FOR TIGGER LE POUNCE, ALWAYS WITH GREAT JOY AND REMEMBRANCE AND RUBS... LOVE ALWAYS, HIS MOM, DAD, AND GREAT LOVE, LUCKY KITTEN Vote for this poem |
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