Pouncer, My Forever Friend

My Beloved Pouncer

Last night while you lay dying,
We slept beside you on the floor
And when your breathing ceased,
We placed your little body in a tiny coffin
Lined with white ruffles and quilted satin.
We placed the coffin in a tiny grave,
In a special spot within my flower garden
With views of mountains, summer butterflies,
And our home that feels so incomplete.

I found Ms. Kitty, your special little friend,
Hiding beneath the table beside your favorite chair.
I picked her up and held her tight
Until I felt her muted purr.
She looked around then up and me and seemed to say,
"Why did my Pouncer go away?"

This afternoon while the sun warmed your grave,
In that special place I planted daffodils with apricot trumpets,
Hyacinth and chocolate colored fritillaries.
Little did I know when I made that autumn purchase,
The honor I would bestow upon these bulbs
By allowing them to reappear as flowers,
Next spring upon your grave.

When life was much too hard,
And my heart felt shattered into fragments,
Your little kitty ways were the special glue,
The best thing to mend it.
You slept beside me with your head upon my pillow,
With dancing toes you sat upon my lap.
You brought your special treasures, your little gifts to me,
Presents of our missing socks or tiny, fluffy, kitty balls.
While lurking in your feline den,
With gentle kitty smacks of love,
My ankles were the subjects of attacks,
Our special little game.
You were my lioness on the prowl.

When breast cancer struck
And I reeked of chemicals and dying cells,
You fretted constantly, and while I slept,
You peered into my face with tickly nudges
Accompanied by scratchy little kisses.
At night sometimes I'd pull the covers over my head
While I groaned, "Please go away, I need a little sleep."

When at last my breath is silent
And I awake in other realms,
You'll come to me in flowered fields
Where butterflies laze about.
I'll pick you up and hold you close
To mend my aching heart,
And just as you once did for me,
I'll lay my face beside your cheek
And shower you with kisses.

October 1991 - November 1, 2010