My Boy

 

When I first saw his beautiful face

I thought my heart would burst

But that feeling of devotion left me panicked

My worries for the future interspersed

 

When I had no one to care for with this intensity

I had nothing to lose

The idea of letting him in and then things not working out

Already had me bruised

 

‘But what if’…

I started

‘He doesn’t bond with me?’

I asked others

Choking on my words

‘Are you kidding?’

They responded rhetorically

‘Look at how he warms to you!’

‘Don’t be absurd!’

 

‘But what if we get sick of each other?’

I questioned

‘What if our love fades?’

‘You know, you both need each other’

They said,

‘So, take that step— and be brave’

 

He hobbled out of his cage

To rub himself on every person in the room

Missing half of his fur from his amputated leg

Yet his demeanour showed not an ounce of gloom

 

He hopped along to the other cages

To look at the other cats

And stared at them for ages

Not to intimidate or harass

But to smack his paw on their food bowls

Up jumped the cat food out of the cage, 

Splash!

 

With our shared curiosity and focus on food,

A creature who loves cuddles— as much as me

‘Cat’ I thought,

‘I’m sold’

‘We are made to be’

 

I love you, I whispered, cuddling him

Trying not to weep in to his neck

‘I promise I’ll look after you’

I vowed

That moment I’ll never forget

 

My 3-legged crazy animal,

‘Boy’,

The cat that shows no sadness or fear

Thank you for reminding me what true love is

Life is so much richer with you here