“Time spent with a cat is never wasted” Colette
We lost our beloved Princess Gabby yesterday
Now there is a void in our hearts and in our home
Utter sadness hangs heavily in the air and in our souls
And my thick wet unstoppable teardrops stain this poem
To me it seems like only yesterday
That I found her at the big city pound
She had been abandoned in an apartment
She lay dazed in her cage without a sound
She was already eight years of age at the time
Hardly anyone ever adopts such an elderly cat
She had already been scheduled to be put down
Life had been truly cruel to her no doubt about that
So I picked her up and tried to comfort her
She clung to my chest not wanting to let go
And her morose eyes pierced my very soul
So I put her in my car and I drove her home
Gabby blossomed into a real sweetheart
Ever grateful for her second chance in life
She very quickly became our beloved Princess
She was loved by our other animals and my wife
She soon became our official tummy warmer on cold winter nights
When we returned home she always lovingly greeted us at the door
She was the only feline we’ve ever had who actually talked to us
And she became a treasured family member whom we all adored
She graced us with her loving presence for 10 years
Even my two dogs came to like and respect our Gabby
All of our pets seem extremely sad and subdued right now
Especially her best pal our elderly male Buddy the tabby
Liver cancer recently began ravaging our Princess’s body
But she never complained and her brave spirit never died
This time around it was I who clung fiercely to her tiny body
And as my beloved Princess left us I cried and cried and cried
We lost our beloved Princess Gabby yesterday
Now there is a void in our hearts and in our home
Utter sadness hangs heavily in the air and in our souls
And my thick wet unstoppable teardrops stain this poem
I will be away for a few weeks; once again heading back down to the Gulf coast. Maybe helping lost and homeless critters will ease the pain of Gabby’s loss a bit. And I hope to bring home a tiny black and white orphan of the storm, and name her Katrina Gabby. I think our Princess would like that very much.
And please find it in your heart to help these lost and traumatized Katrina waifs any way you can:
Ed Kostro 1st October 2005
For more of Ed's great writing, please click here:
"In the middle of a world that has always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence."
Roseanne Anderson