A Prince

Going out into my backyard—which I seldom do—
I remembered that my marvelous cat was buried
in an area toward the back— which must be around
10 years now— and that as soon as he died I drove
to a funeral home and purchased a child’s coffin
to bury him in.

My upstairs neighbor helped me to dig the grave
and after we filled in the hole, we said a little prayer,
the whole experience upsetting me for weeks
as I loved that cat who’d lived with me for 17 years.

Obviously abandoned, he came around each day for food
which he ate on the porch outside my back door,
eventually trusting me enough to come into my house,
becoming a loyal friend, affectionate on his own terms,
often sleeping on my bed— until my girlfriend,
who eventually became my wife, moved in.

And then he settled permanently into a comfortable chair
in the sunroom, lounging each day like a prince,
right up to the end…