A small cat wanders
through the streets all alone
wishing only for a friend
to walk beside her.
Nobody wants her,
afraid that she’ll scratch
or bite
and they call her
feral
stray
but all she wants
is a home.
She finds another, skinnier than she
and they walk together awhile
but there’s nothing to eat.
He withers away
and is soon gone from her side
and she is all alone,
once more a lonely stray
with no home to call
her own.
Little balls of joy enter her life
living off her but not for long
and as they grow
they too begin to wither
for the streets don’t have enough
for more than one mouth.
After they’re gone
the small cat is alone once more
but sadder than she was
before she ever knew companionship.
