you used to come mewing
whenever i stepped outside—
a neighbor’s cat
who claimed my space
darting into the house
purring against my leg
forcing me to pet you
a nuisance, really
i bought you toys
put out water
took your picture
for my friend
he loved cats most
told me to write
be awake, more than asleep
be a verb, not a noun
he’s gone, your gone
together maybe
dreaming awake
while i keep writing
*59/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. All photos are mine.
What a beautiful boy. I would like to think they are together. 🐾
Me too. Thanks for inspiring this poem with our conversations, and lending me the “dreaming awake” line.
I’m glad that our conversations can be inspiring. Even if it makes me blush.
Cats are beautiful and mysterious!
They really are! I miss this one and hope another neighborhood cat or stray finds me again.
The Cat Distribution system will find you again, Bridgette. 😻
I hope they found each other Bridgette.
Me too. I can see them having a nice little life together.
What a beautiful photo of your neighbor’s cat. My cat used to go into our neighbor’s house and snooze in the sun on her living room carpet. Once my neighbor got into bed and landed on our cat!
That’s hilarious! Once, I started driving when I heard him meowing in the backseat! He’d crawled in while I was wrestling up my little nephew and I didn’t notice.
I’d find our next kitty locked in the car several times. He must have snuck in while I was unloading groceries.
Oh no! Silly, kitty.
I love cats, mine, others, strays. A nice tribute to this cat, and your friend.
Thank you! Me too. I can’t have an indoor cat because almost everyone in our house is allergic, so I love when I get a chance to love up on one.
On a day I stopped and thought about Neil, I read this poem. Thank you. My first wife was allergic to cats, but accepted that I had one. She even got one herself and let me adopt three stray cats. (we lived in the country). Ten years later she was gone—the cat was still there. ‘Nuff said.
I’m so glad this poem reached you as you were thinking of Neil, he would have loved that. Cats have such an uncanny ability of finding us. I’m waiting for my next cat to find me. I’m ready.