For George by Susan Davies:
He was an ordinary, two a penny, black and white cat,
The sort that you see everywhere, a standard ‘Postman Pat’,
I got him from a rescue place, one April afternoon,
And then I brought him home, where he inspected every room.
A ‘Welcome’ tin of tuna was devoured, the dish licked clean,
Then he curled up on my lap, like it was where he’d always been,
And that was that, I was complete, my house was now a home,
And for ten more years we shared our lives, no longer all alone.
It wasn’t all plain sailing, we had our ups and downs,
Those night time gifts of mice and moths I could have done without,
And relations with the neighbours were strained a little too,
Since he thought their showpiece garden, was his own private loo.
But he was such a lovely cat, my gentle purring man,
How could I not have loved him, how could I not succumb,
Then yesterday I lost him, the grief is hard to bear,
PTS at home with me, on his favourite chair.
It cost a little extra to have the vet come out,
But it saved him from a journey to the practice down in town,
Was it too soon? Not soon enough? It’s very hard to know,
But when he didn’t eat that tuna, I knew to let him go.
I held his little body close until the deed was done,
And the vet said to be gently “It’s over now, he’s gone”,
I laid him in the garden, dug a great big yawning hole,
Then placed his tiny lifeless body, at the bottom with my soul.
“You always knew this day would come, it shouldn’t be a shock”,
I told myself whilst shovelling wet soil on top of rocks,
But oh my heart is breaking, my domestic short-haired Tom,
You cocky, streetwise fighter, I can’t believe you’re gone.
They say that time will heal all things, I think that’s probably true,
And I will find another cat to love, just like I did with you,
May be a little tortie girl, or a stripy ginger man,
A tabby, or a long-haired cat, perhaps a Turkish Van.
But whichever furry feline comes to share my life and home,
And gives me cause to smile again, with antics yet unknown,
My heart will always keep a special place, and that’s a certain fact,
For that ordinary, two a penny, black and white cat.
By Susan Davies.
