Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
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Copyright © 1997 - 2010
Animal Poems and Stories
Part VI
"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way." ~ John Muir, Environmentalist
Thank You For NOT Loving Her Enough
I want to thank you for not loving the beautiful little female Dobe enough to keep her! You admitted you "just don't have time for her," so you "think she needs another home." Mind you, I'm not judging you, but I sure am glad you didn't love her enough to keep her. You see, even though we had one handsome, blue, male Dobe, and a young JRT, no one took us seriously when we posted here to find a female Dobe. No one thought we knew what we were looking for..."probably just backyard breeders looking for a breeding bitch," they said. But that doesn't matter now.
Did you know this wonderful little female, now named "Tina," will lay her head in your lap all night, if you sit on the couch with her? No, I suppose you didn't, as you said she was never allowed on any furniture. We have nice things too, but a cover quickly made the couch available for everyone...all the dogs. Did you know she gives wonderfully wet, warm kisses when she's particularly happy with her dinner? Probably not, as you said she lived outside all the time, in a run with a doghouse. Did you know she was terrified of loud noises and quick moves? Do you have any idea why she became this way? Maybe, but maybe not. Nevertheless, we're all working on her fears, helping her find peace with things we find silly - but that she finds to be monsters, like the vacuum cleaner. Do you have any idea why she runs to hide when we walk toward her with a dinner plate in our hand? What happened to her to give her that fear? Nevermind, we'll all work on her uncertainties, and give her a new, stronger self image.
Did you ever take the time to wipe the sleep from her eyes in the morning? The first time I offered to wipe her eyes clean, she ran to hide...again. But guess what...she comes TO me each morning now, while I brush my hair and wash my face - just to have the sleep wiped from her eyes, and kisses me on the knee. Was she ever brushed? Was she given toys with which to play? She was terrorized by both the first time I offered them...what happened to her, do you know? Bet you didn't get any kisses for doing nails, brushing, or wiping her face clean of dirt. I do. I get lots of kisses.
I also get lots of joy watching her play and run with our other two "kids." She's like a small, black and tan deer. She's fast, sleek, and becoming more and more sure of herself. Occasionally she will still crawl on her tummy to us when we call her. What happened to make her so shy? Our two "first" kids always look us right in the eye, and come running when we whistle. Tina would come, but crawl the last few yards on her stomach, as if she was trying SO hard to apologize for something she'd done. What happened to her? That's all right, though, we're all working on replacing her crawling with a more sure response.
Did you know she loves to be rocked in a rocker? Did you know she will crawl in your lap, curl up, and go fast to sleep if you rock and pat her head? Did you ever allow her to show such love? That's all right, we're all SO BLESSED to have her in our lives, and we're showered with her love. I wonder what you missed all those deeply cold nights in December, when she was left to fend for herself outside in her pen. Her love was always there, just brimming...but not accepted, from what you've told us.
Do you remember the day we called your work place, to ask if we could get a copy of her health records, and you wouldn't talk to me because you thought I was going to bring her back? Remember your comment when I asked the receptionist to tell you what we wanted, and that she was doing well in our home? You said "Oh, good! I'll talk to her!" Silly...you thought we would let this package of warmth, and kisses, armed with a loving heart, come back to your home. No, I don't believe so, because this is her "forever" home. That was our intent from the onset, and we have been so fortunate. You spent so much money on her, with her beautiful ears and spaying, it's hard to believe.
Never did I think I would be glad that someone didn't want a dog...I thought that was terribly sad. This WAS sad, but that sadness had turned into joy, and that joy is ours - forever. When it comes time for her to go to the Rainbow Bridge, we'll be there for her, if we're still on earth. Know she will not be alone, and know that we found more love than could have been hoped for! Know also that she has my sister, my mother and dad, and a nephew who would quickly take all 3 of our "kids" should we be called home. To our best, we will always take care of their futures.
Oh, yes, one more thing. I feel sorry for you.
~ Author Unknown ~
Beloved of Bast
It was a perfect sunny afternoon for a catnap and the old farm cat lay sleepily in a pile of straw near the barn door. The sun warmed her tabby coat and she stretched and flexed her claws and yawned pinkly. The bees droned in their pursuit of pollen, birds twittered in the trees and lulled the cat called 'Mother' into a deep sleep. She dreamed of stalking mice in the dark corners of the barn, and her whiskers twitched and teeth chattered in anticipation - although if the truth be told, her mousing days were long over and her ribs showed from hunger. She curled up more tightly as if to protect the kittens who had been so much a part of her life for over a dozen years. It was her hundred children, and their children, and theirs, that caused her to be called 'Mother,' and it had been many generations since anyone remembered her given name.
A gentle breeze played against her fur and her slow breathing rasped back and forth in the rhythm of deepest sleep. She never heard the stealthy pawsteps as they approached and she was only awakened when a shadow passed in front of her and blocked the sun.
"Mew?!" she awoke with a start, and blinked heavily at the silhouette of a large cat standing before her. She sat up stiffly and squinted into the sun as a small gasp escaped her.
Before her sat the most beautiful cat she had ever seen, with a pelt like burnished gold, stripes of tawny brown, large sapphire colored eyes, and tall ears with tufts. Around her neck she wore a chain of gold from which an amulet hung, and from her brick red nose to the dark wild markings around her tail, she was the image of feline beauty.
Mother was too stunned to speak. The golden cat turned her gaze from Mother and surveyed the surroundings, and then she spoke.
"Blessed cat called `Mother,' you are old and tired, and I have come to take you home. I have known of you for many years, and of your trials and tribulations. As of today, that will all be forgotten and you will dwell in my temple, where you will want for nothing. My servants will care for you. You will have a couch in the sun, fresh fish, and the love and respect of all."
Mother struggled to find her voice, not quite understanding if this was a dream or not.
"And who may I ask are you, and where in the world did you come from?!" Mother finally managed to stutter.
The beautiful cat smiled slyly. "I am Bast and I am from another time and place. I dwell in the Temple of Bubastis near the River Nile - which is rather nice, as temples go - and I am the chosen of Ra, the sun god, the protectress of mothers and children, the goddess of fertility...and several other things which I don't recall at the moment."
"What would you want with me, and why would I want to leave here?" Mother asked. "This is my home."
Bast looked at the barn door hanging on one hinge, the pile of manure nearby, the junked and rusted vehicles of Man, and she sniffed.
"Home? It's not much of a home, is it?"
Mother followed the golden cat's gaze around her world and hung her head.
"I know it isn't much to an outsider, but it's all I've ever known."
"Dear cat," Bast said softly. "Leave this place. Your children are mostly gone now, run over on the road, dead from starvation, riddled with disease and suffering, their young stolen by hawks, shaken by dogs, tormented by human boys - and the few who remain healthy are breeding out of control. All of you barely manage to scratch out an existence. The Man and Woman here don't appreciate you. When is the last time they held you, or stroked you, or tended to your wounds, or buried your dead and mourned the loss? They throw you a few crumbs on occasion, but even on the coldest nights you must burrow into the straw for warmth. Come with me to my home, where you can warm your old bones on a hearth, where you will never again know the gnawing of hunger."
Mother blinked and the truth somehow made the world she called home seem barren and delapidated. She swallowed hard before answering.
"Your Most Beautifulness, I can't deny that what you say is true, but I am needed here. Who will make sure the kittens don't stray into the fields and lose their way, or fall into the stream? What if a rat should appear, or a coyote - who would warn my family? What if the Man should fall ill or die? - maybe the Woman would need comforting."
Bast looked at her and narrowed her eyes to slits. She was more accustomed to commanding than conversing.
"Dearest Mother. You have earned a better place. You have nursed kittens until your breasts ached. You have watched the young you worried over die. The Humans are fools! They are blind to beauty and hardhearted. If they truly loved you, would you sleep here in the straw alone, without so much as a kind word or a caress? Come away with me to my temple of gold and live for all eternity in paradise."
Mother slowly shook her head no.
"I am sorry, Most Gracious Cat, but I cannot. This is my home, such as it is. I forgave the Man and Woman long ago. I belong here to these hills - these are my trees, my stream, my barnyard. My children and their children and their children need me. Please don't think me ungrateful, but I am, in my own way, happy."
Bast swished her tail. Not being obeyed was a new experience for her, but in deference to such honesty and loyalty, foolish though she thought it, she spoke kindly.
"It is clear, Dear Mother, that I cannot change your mind, but neither can I leave without rewarding you in some way. Surely there is something you want for yourself?"
Mother pondered a moment. She'd never had very much, that was true, but she also didn't have much of an idea of what else a cat could have, or would want.
"Well, I suppose I'd like to keep my claws - I've heard some cats have theirs chopped off by Humans and I can't imagine life without my claws."
It was Bast's turn to shake her head. Was there ever a cat less demanding than this one called Mother?
"Keep your claws you shall Mother. But there should be more...let me think. Yes! All tabby cats will wear the mark of my amulet around their necks to commemorate this meeting. Still, that's not much. Let me think some more.
"I have it! From now on, all cats, if only so faintly, will wear the mark of 'M' on their forehead, in honor of the cat called Mother. Hmmm...that still doesn't seem like much."
Bast closed her eyes and twitched her tufted ears. She lashed her tail back and forth in thought, and stamped her paw with impatience.
"I know!" she announced and licked her paw in satisfaction. "From this day forward, even after you leave this earthly 'home' of yours, your spirit will always be present. At the edge of the forest and field, Man will see a brown tabby cat from the corner of his eye. As he rides in his motor car, he will spy you by the side of the road. As he turns the corner on a dark night in the city, there you will be. Under lamplight, against fence posts, in the alleys, on doorsteps, you will be there as a constant reminder to Man of what he has foolishly ignored - the simple, quiet, loyal and forgiving heart of a brown tabby cat. That, Most Honored Mother, beloved of Bast, will be my gift to you."
With that pronouncement she shook gold dust from her luxurious fur and strode imperiously out of sight. Mother nestled into her straw, and began licking her paws. She hadn't any understanding of what had transpired and wondered if it had been some sort of waking dream. The sun shone, the bees droned, and the birds resumed their twittering. Mother slept soundly away.
The days passed one after the other, and all was as it was before, or so it seemed. It was nearly dusk one day, a short time later, when the Man returned home from the fields. He leaned heavily on the back door frame of the house as he removed his work boots and allowed them to drop with a thud. The Woman was occupied with setting the table for their supper and a fire blazed in the grate.
"I thought you said you found the old mother cat dead yesterday?" he said to his wife.
"I did, indeed," the Woman replied. "I set her out this morning with the trash."
"Odd. I just thought I saw her next to the woodpile as I came in," he said.
"Funny you should say that. I was walking up from the mailbox this morning and I could've sworn I saw her at the edge of the field."
In her temple, in a land and time far away, Bast smiled.
Copyright © 2001 ~ Jim Willis ~
Room in Your Heart
Sorrow fills a barren space;
you close your eyes and see my face
and think of times I made you laugh,
the love we shared, the bond we had,
the special way I needed you -
the friendship shared by just we two.
The day's too quiet, the world seems older,
the wind blows now a little colder.
You gaze into the empty air
and look for me, but I'm not there -
I'm in heaven and I watch you,
and I see the world around you too.
I see little souls wearing fur,
souls who bark and souls who purr
born unwanted and unloved -
I see all this and more above -
I watch them suffer, I see them cry,
I see them lost, I watch them die.
I see unwanted thousands born -
and when they die, nobody mourns.
These little souls wearing fur
(Some who bark and some who purr)
are castaways who - unlike me -
will never know love or security.
A few short months they starve and roam,
Or caged in shelters - nobody takes home.
They're special too (furballs of pleasure),
filled with love and each one, a treasure.
My pain and suffering came to an end,
so don't cry for me, my person, my friend.
But think of the living - those souls with fur
(some who bark and some who purr) -
And though our bond can't be broken apart,
make room for another in your home and your heart.
~ Caro Schubert-James ~
Tail tucked between your legs,
Confusion in your eyes -
I know it's hard to understand
That someone heard your cries.
When loneliness is all you know
And pain is all you feel
And no one can be trusted,
And hunger's all too real...
That's the time the Lord sees you
And lets you know He's there
That's when He sends His messengers
The hearts that love and care.
Yes, rescuers are angels
You cannot see their wings,
They keep them neatly folded
As they do their caring things.
The medicine to make you well
Good food to make you strong,
And finally to help you learn
That hugs are never wrong.
The perfect place then must be found
The home where you can live
Secure and safe and happy
With joy to get and give.
When you reach your Forever Home,
Your place to feel whole,
The Angels smile, and off they go
To save another soul.
~ Author Unknown ~
