As soon as I saw you,
I loved you and you purred !
As a kitten playing away,
I loved you, oh the toys we had.
As a mature cat twirling on,
I loved you, fed you, cared.
Now you are dying, I love you still.
I've just been to buy gravel,
for the bottom and top of your grave
and as I walked through the house,
I felt like a criminal.
Now I've dug your grave,
...someone's nicked my shovel ... grrrr !
So I had to use a fork and trowel,
oh gosh, my back !
But this is my way of saying
I will Love You to the End.
I step through my neighbour's door
and discover a cordless phone
in my pocket!
'Just one of those things', I say.
Then at home, I head for the 'frig
with a box of Cornflakes…
then realise they don't belong there!
Sometimes I walk from one room to another,
then stand still, thinking, 'what am I doing here?'
I've forgotten.
Am I part of a circus act?
Today around 4am, my cat hadn't joined me upstairs,
so I tiptoed down, my heart pounding.
Lifeless she appeared to be...
on her blanketted, favourite chair.
I touched her gently, wondering
and she opened her eyes as if to say,
'What's all the fuss about?'
In my heart, I thought,
'the fuss is because you have terminal cancer'
I hugged her with delight,
laughing, but crying inside.
When I am old,
I am going to wear purple
and demand things
in a way never possible
in my youth.
When I am old,
I am going to have my own room
and chair and food close to hand
so that I don't have to
walk ALL the way
to the kitchen.
I am going to wee on the carpet
to save having to
walk ALL the way
to the kitchen.
I am going to insist that Mother
puts the spare Litter Tray in
my room !
And then I am going to
kick litter all over the carpet.
So that Mother, regardless
of whether she is feeling
well or not, will have
TWO Litter Trays to look after
and litter to sweep up
and SHE will have to
walk ALL the way
from the kitchen to do it!
One fine spring day a gentle breeze passed through the Bridge.
Tyger lifted her head and sniffed lightly.
“Mum’s hurting,” she said. “I’d better go see.”
Hazel said, “Wait for me.”
Cheech happened to be passing by and heard the girls.
So he too checked the breeze with nose and ears.
“Oh dear, momma’s still in pain,” he whispered.
On Cheech’s back, Nelson heard.
Sinbad and Max floated down from their lofty perch
And touched noses as they breathed the sweet air.
They sang, “We need to tell them we’re all right.”
Sam joined, “Dad’s tears shine bright.”
From her garden, Muffit turned an ear to the earth.
“Mom never found me,” she told the others.
“It’s been too hard for her to say good-bye.”
Checkers saw Mother cry.
Mr. Spats fetched Roxy. “Come, good friend – they call us.”
Ern grinned, “Remember Mom’s sense of humor?”
“My Mom,” purred Macky, “really loved our talks.”
Raven sighed. “I miss our walks.”
And so they gathered, Merlin and Maxx, Spider too.
Kurama, Baylee, Suzabell, Blacky –
Rudy, Pip, Decker, Shelbi –
All, all gazed tenderly.
From each one’s favorite spot on the Bridge they came.
Thousands of kids murmured about their love.
Healthy, and whole, they purred, yipped, chirped, and sang
‘Til, at last, the bridge rang.
The breeze changed its path, flowed across the bridge, to earth.
It spoke of undying love, found each one,
Each human left behind, each treasured heart.
“Hear me, we did not part.”
“I still live for you. I send you love every day.
Close your eyes and look inside. Hear my voice.
Know that I feel your love and your guilt, too.
Hear me. I forgive you.”
And we all knew that we are remembered, and loved.
And that we are forgiven everything.
Tyger looked at every bridge child, and smiled.
“They’ll take comfort a while.”
