Itsy
1993-2013
Baby black cat
came home in a pillow case.
Issy, Issy, is it a he?
Shiny fur
big round eyes
we named him Itsy
Itsy because he was tiny.
Itsy slept on the top of my head.
Itsy bit Julia’s hair.
Itsy roamed around the foothill
of Mount Diablo
chased and killed birds.
Itsy scorched his paws
on the hot asphalt.
Itsy invited a big orange cat
into the house in a stormy night.
Itsy watched the children grow.
Itsy saw the family changed.
Itsy hunted and played hide and seek
even though his whiskers had changed color
and the lush coat was spiked with white.
hot day
black cat
lying on the ground
ears up
eyes closed
not a sound
I look up
from my reading
he’s gone.
Listen to a reading of the poem:
Image by Susan Hsu.
