Crazy Cat Lady

poem from Honoring the Cats in My Life

Throughout time,
there has been one
crone that lives with lots of cats
in just about everywhere.
Everyone knows who she is.
And many people want to
blame her whenever there’s
a cat problem arising.

But who is she?

She’s the one
who lets the cats rule the house.
She makes accommodations
for them.
She sets up the house
so they are comfortable.
She may complain
about them,
but she doesn’t throw
them out.
She even picks up strays
and abandoned cats
and shelters them.
They all love her.

But who is she?

She was one of many
women condemned as a witch
in a society that couldn’t
tolerate women who didn’t
get married and have children.
But the cats are her children.
What does she need human children for?
That society insists on conformity
and falling short of that—death.
These women are still misunderstood.

But who is she?

She may be me someday…