The Wandering Cat

Two things there are that God cannot control,

In all his awesome majesty and power:

The master of the universe himself

Cannot force love for him from human hearts,

Nor can he mandate or compel justice

Or peace throughout his world. 

        But one more thing

There is God cannot do, and this small thing

Is that which I regret perhaps the most

Of all.  The infinite, divine, supreme,

Creating power has no command over

The mind or frantic actions of a cat.

I’ve heard it said that cats all show

The signs of Asperger Syndrome, while dogs

All live with ADHD.  A cat knows not

How to behave in social interaction,

Nor how to properly return the love

We give to them, in feeding, petting care.

This little cat of mine, she wastes no time

And runs away whene’er she sees a door

Even slightly opened to give the dogs

The opportunity to go and pee.

With all her inborn feline stealth and speed

She sneaks past me and prances, scampers through

The slightly opened door.

                                               I know the course

This jaunt of hers will take.  She will remain

Outside for just a day or two.  We will

See her just once or twice in all that time,
Perhaps chasing a bird, a mouse, a squirrel,

But never catching it, because she is

Too slow and lazy to keep up with things

That spend their lives, however brief, outside

Avoiding claws and teeth of predators.

I may see her again, another day,

Perched atop the gated fence that borders

Our backyard, or lying beneath my car.

I’ll call to her, and walk to her, but she

Will run away, because when she’s outside,

She wants nothing at all to do with me

I will give her a few days more, and then

She will no doubt return to me.  One night

She’ll come back in, just as she left, but now

A little thinner, hungry, thirsty too.

She’ll drink her water up as if she thinks

There’s no tomorrow, then she’ll sit beside

Her bowl of food, and wrap her furry tail

Around her furry feet, and she will eat.

And when she’s had her fill, she will settle

In my lap, and purring, fall fast asleep.

Our prodigal returning home to us,

Our stray returning to domestic life.

This cat of mine has a way of showing

The value of a wandering life, the truth

That adventure nourishes the spirit,

But also that it’s good to come back home,

Where you know you have a food bowl waiting,

And a soft, warm bed and lap to sleep on.

She knows that no matter the length of time

She’s been away, we will welcome her back,

And give her rest, and say she is at home.