Here is a poem from Four Blue Eggs. Order in April for 20% off all poetry titles.
Cat People
After a while, the questions went away.
But even when the kittens came home
it was hard to convince my mother-in-law
that she had two new grandchildren—
the family we chose to be falls off
the flat map of expectations. Must we keep
our parenthood close or share it only
with the few who nurture and know?
I snuggle my daughter and contemplate
the mystery of her purr, smile with delight
when her brother crowds my knees.
But that is not enough. How to explain?
Perhaps this: the day my mother died
on the living room couch, we all slept
upstairs buried in blankets and scary
dreams, but the tabby bravely hugged
to her side, curled into an omega,
and kept watch as human night closed in.
Maple and Django
This is Nikki, our childhood cat, with my dad.
Amy Nawrocki 