My Beloved Feline
I was walking along the footpath one night
When I saw you, a stray kitten roaming throughout the shadowy streets
You being so tiny and emaciated was a piteous sight
I had no choice but to bring you home with me
As I carried you, you did nothing but rested beneath my arms
And glimpsed at the corner where you were born
Your white silken fur with shades of black and brown were filled with charms
Brought you to my flat so you wouldn't die famished and forlorn
I offered you fried fish and you ate it with quick speed
And then gave me a look like you were thanking me
You were my cherished pet whom I was to care for daily and feed
I gave you your first bath but you kept running away so swiftly
I assume you were a month old when I first got you
You looked incredibly adorable but too little and fragile
I loved you like you were human and I know you loved me too
For you would always greet me while I'd pet you every once in a while
Several weeks went by and I watched you steadily grow
You looked even more beautiful while being older
To learn that my neighbors hated you filled me with great sorrow
Couldn't keep you in my apartment and each time they saw you they'd get colder
Dad said, "Cats spoil our furniture and bring sickness"
But I ignored him and invited you to my room whenever I could
You being kicked by tormentors, I did not want to witness
I got into so many troubles but to leave you outside in the cold I never would
How wonderful it was to watch you eat
Hearing your meows outside the front door
Every single day you'd beg for food beneath my feet
Tuna and sardines were your favorite as you kept asking for more
Milk and water I gave you to drink
And while you did so, your furry tail would move up and down
"How kind this person is, unlike the rest," You would think
Whenever I passed by you I'd give a smile and clear my constant frown
Your deep olive-green iris endlessly sparkled in the dark
Your delicate whiskers flew gently with the rushing wind
Together you and I would play with yarns and lark
If only we had a garden, it would have been your own park
Time passed and you became pregnant
You gave birth to three kittens, all gorgeous and flamboyant
Two coated with black and white fur and the smallest one all brown and white
Always together like a real family and never getting into a fight
Those three were like you, often timid but you all loved to explore
Your environment and the people around you
I got rather surprised when I initially saw your newborns at my door
Didn't get the chance to know them because of what happened which made me forever blue
Some hostile neighbor sent you and your kittens away
To a deserted land so to me you won't return
I wept so much that night I wished so bad that you could stay
To my parents I acted all splenetic and stern
The next morning I found out that you came back to me
I caressed you with full devotion
The friendship between you and I, not a single one could see
You filled my vacant life with high spirits and a loving emotion
You brought with you your youngest kitten that looked exactly like your departed friend
And then you'd travel all the way to where that tyrant had abandoned you
And bring all your kittens together, for you were the one whom they can only depend
Lifting each kitten one by one to where I waited for you
Somehow I felt like you were asking me to watch over your little ones after you're gone
But I couldn't because you were sent away again, this time by my Dad
He left you and your family beside a high-class restaurant at dawn
Not finding you anywhere when I got up late made me extremely sad
I cried so hard like a part of me had been removed
You never reappeared when I expected you to do so
To this new residence, I wish we'd never moved
Every hour I'd wait for you by the gate, feeling more disheartened and low
I shed tears as I write this poem which I'm sure you won't understand
We've known each other for ten months and yet I feel like we've been together for a decade
I look at these remarkable photos of you and I stroke it with my hand
The more I imagine you by my side, the more I am dismayed
From the bottom of my heart I pray
That wherever you are, you and your family shall stay safe each and every other day
I earnestly hope for your well-being
And I'm certain that you're aware of how I'm feeling
I'm missing you so much and I shall wait by the gate again today
For the time being, I lie on my bed listening to your meows all far away
And weep as I see an image of you in the ceiling
I miss you, my beloved feline
"I miss you too," That quote I've always wanted to hear you say.
© Mariam D. Mababaya
