For my six-year-old cat, who died October of 2008

My darling Niza,

I loved you
Love you—
Will love you:
That gray-sand nimbus that was your fur,
Those green-gold jewels that were your eyes,
Your irritating habit of staying up past your bedtime,
Your fence-walking ways,
Your nuzzling affection,
And your squirrel-fighting valor
Heretofore unknown among your kind.
I remember those moments
Atop the trampoline,
You nestled on my chest,
Content to stay all night,
Me content for a little while,
But waiting for the pounce
That would allow me
To safely tuck you away
In your garage-palace.
If anyone were to tell me
That you had no spirit,
And that I would never see you again,
My first inclination would be
To lay them out flat.
But on second thought,
I would simply pity them as fools,
Because if I have ever known anything,
I know that cats have spirits
And an Afterlife
As much any human being does.
So, yes, we’ll meet again.
Meanwhile, I miss you in my patio
And I’ll be looking forward to the day . . .