I wrote this poem for my son when he lost his beloved kitty many years ago. I came across it again while cleaning out my archive files and realized that reading it also did a bang-up job of cleaning out my tear ducts. Freud was right when he wrote, “We are never so hopelessly unhappy as when we lose love.” I wanted to share this with you because I’m sure all of you have also had this heart-wrenching experience, if not once, many times. So, dear hearts, grab your box of tissues, get comfortable and read, remember and reminisce. After all, what’s poetry for but to make you laugh, make you cry and most of all make you feel. That’s the only way you have of confirming that you’re human.
Ode to My Beloved Fur Child
By Allie Katz
My heart rejoiced with laughter,
When first I saw your face.
Those almond eyes exuding fear,
The body lacking grace.
Oh tiny little helpless thing,
In need of love and care,
I promise now, as I did then
I always will be there.
I did not give birth to you,
But you’re a part of me,
As though you were my very own,
My child, my prodigy.
I loved the way you welcomed me,
Scent-marking me as yours,
And often found you under foot
As I attended chores.
Having you was like a marriage,
For better or for worse,
And there were many times I thought,
“Is this a gift, or curse?”
But when my world came tumbling down,
And I had lost my place,
I only had to contemplate
Your purr and whiskered face.
Oh, what a joy you were to me
For oh so many years.
I wish I had as many more
As I now shed in tears.
Souls so closely bonded
Will never be apart,
So down the road I’ll hear once more,
That laughter in my heart.
