An elegy for beast of prey, the Freak:
You, felis catus, quick as lightning-streak,
whose perfect eyes survey the manor ground
and keep the guard o'er all the country 'round.
A claw, a bite, a scratching mark on skin
remind the lives and hearts you've entered in
of feisty love (how odd!) and charmer's wit,
you, preying cat, are like a candle lit:
Both heat and light, both sharp and soft at night,
both stark and colorful, a sparking light
to pierce the darkness with its liveliness.
Your mem'ry keep: the candle out, doubtless,
yet face and fur, bewhiskered feline lot
live on as light and image in the thought.
Hail, Freak! Hail, living silk! Hail, Life-as-Cat!
I did not know you well, yet your impact
continues on, continues on within
the woman and all others of your kin.