I am in love with being chosen by this cat.
Perhaps it could be any cat.
His lowness in the world fills me not with disgust
but pity and soft opening for his escape.
What makes the breath of one man reek,
and another fill your heart with care?
Come purr on my chest when I haven’t the time;
will I grow tired of thee? Will you come to be a stink, a chore?
Do I know how to love; are you here to show me?
The story goes a bit like this: convulsing fear, survival strength, ache, rage, numbness,
rote doing, and then one morning we start imagining ~ maybe.
Our mind/s broadcasting into the void, virtual machines of creation.
A snake, a turtle, a rat may have answered, but here is this homeboy, ESE.
You, little man, radiate the joy of 2nd chances.
You mirror tougher days which make me the humble seer.
Basking in the soft luxury of my bed,
I worship the roof , the lights, the water, the pantry…
There may be hope for me yet.
“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” ~ Jean Cocteau
“All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.” Samuel Butler
Life as Improv 
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.”
― Leonardo da Vinci
To which the cat replies, “Yes, Leonardo, I know. Good you noticed.” 🙂
I could not help but think of my cat-loving friends when I read this. I will be sending this one on 🙂
I’ve joined the cat cult 🙂
What a charmer
“Do I know how to love; are you here to show me?”
Beautiful thoughts on the gifts that these small creatures give us! I have learned a lot about love from the cats that have graced my days since childhood.
Cats have a way of being selfish enough to keep their own needs and uniqueness at the forefront of being, and yet when they bond with us, they tend to our habits and make our home a castle.
Cats require that we meet them halfway and that is something I very much need to be reminded of daily.
xxx
Debra
Hey Debra,
I joke, but there is truth here: I’ve finally evolved enough to learn love from a cat. For years, I did not understand the relationship at all; then one shows up at the door, ready to teach.
Did you ever read the Carson McCullers’ story, “A Tree, A Rock and A Cloud” ? It is a story I remember from school and teaching that basically has a man starting over learning how to love after much heartbreak and disruption by learning how to love a tree, a rock and a cloud – and he conveys how advanced these loves really are, really loving a tree, etc. – so loving another human can be worked up to…
I gain much from your experience and insight here, the tending to of habits, the meeting halfway, and the castle making – wonderful!
xo! m
Hi Marga,
I really do think there’s something to this:
“learning how to love after much heartbreak and disruption by learning how to love a tree, a rock and a cloud – and he conveys how advanced these loves really are, really loving a tree, etc.”
I think it’s absolutely true that if we could love the smaller, so-called inanimate things, how much more would we love others? Maybe then we would not be so careless about the things of the world.
The book sounds like a good one…oh, so many books (and cats), so little time. 🙂
xoxox
D
“I have lived with several Zen masters –all of them cats.” -Eckhart Tolle
It is amazing the tiny vulnerability of frame that is found under all that fluff!.
I have a permanent spot of cream swirl always on my cherry red sofa and often for the first few days back at work, I will find long white hairs trailing off the dark uniform at 39,000 feet even after the dry cleaning! I want this to be the case forever…17 1/2 years and still hanging with us.
Such unconditional love and comfort these fur family members. I am with Debra, castles indeed!
-x.M
(big chin scrub to Ese from me!)
The blessing of the traveling fur 🙂
(as an aside) Ese would have never made it past the front door had I not learned that long hair doesn’t make me sneeze. xo! (chin scrubs all around!)
Ese: el gato gris que tiene el pelo del Dios.
Ese: un gato sin problemas.
Ese: La Respuesta del Amor por Amor.
Ese. La Verdad.
La Verdad: Ese.
Me piensa que Ese no esta solamente un gato. Ese tiene poderes secretos.
Miguel
Miquel realmente puede ver Ese, el gato que puede perforar el velo.
Un lugar soleado de la verdad.
¿Cómo es Miquel? ¿Dónde está la santa trinidad ahora? La paz con ustedes mi hermano maravilloso.
Mi hermana valiente, Miguel es bueno, pero un poco tranquilo. La santa trinidad fueron por ayuda. Yo tambien Nosotros hemos discutido muchas cosas.
Ha. Wrong button.
I’m quickly exhausting my Spanglish. Try appending this… 🙂
…Yo tambien llame a los Ayudantes. Nosotros hemos discutido muchas cosas. Vamos a tener una lucha grande. Silencio a ruido. Silencio siempre ganar…
Miguel