Free Kittens Poem by Laurence Overmire

I didn't want the responsibility.
Sure, I liked cats, but—
My friends thought I needed one
(Company for the lonely, I guess)
Picked one out of a New York litter
Climbing on shelves
In the back of some Mom and Pop grocery
Storeroom on the Lower East Side:
An ugly little runt, with spunk
Covered in sawdust and grime,
Not one I would ever pick myself—
A cute little ball of fur with that
"Fresh new-cat smell."

He cried all the way back to
Brooklyn, my long subway ride home.
People giving me irritated looks,
The little kit's shrieks horribly loud and—
Embarrassing.
Me thinking, "Oh no, what am I in for? "

He slept on the bed with me that night.
Curled into a ball at my feet.
Little did he know, I wasn't a peaceful
Sleeper.
I must have accidentally kicked him off
Five or six times, but
He survived.

I found myself spending a lot of time with this
Homely waif.
Taught him to fetch, like a dog.
And when I pet him, oh man, did he have a
Purr—loud and contented.
Made me feel, well
Appreciated.

He was a smart cat, too.
Figured out how to open the refrigerator
With one paw and knock the cat food
Onto the floor.

It may sound strange, but that little cat
Became my best friend, when I really needed one.
I took good care of him, fed him well,
He, nuzzling up, with those big ears and
Golden eyes.

As he grew, he developed a sleek gray coat
With white patches on face and breast and paw,
And in the course of time, that ugly little kitten
Became the most beautiful cat I'd ever seen.
No, others wouldn't think so, but
That's what he taught me:
Something unexpected—about love.

He's gone now. And I miss him.
He wasn't just a cat, not to me.
He had his own spirit, his own
Personality, his own relation to the world.
He was a gift I didn't want.
And looking back,
I can only thank some irresponsible
Once lucky star

I was fool enough to accept.

~ Laurence Overmire