G&T Publishing

There once was a kitten,
So feral and afraid.
He knew nothing of man,
or the world outside of his little domain.

One day,
His mother took too long to return.
Little whiskers shook with restrained concern.

Stretching his tiny little paws,
He took a step out from beneath the big brown box.

With tummy grumbling and mouth running dry,
He looked at his surroundings with big wide eyes.
Oh no, he whined inside his head,
Where do I go now, he wondered nervously, wanting to go back to bed.

The stone beneath his feet was cool,
Hard, yet wet, as leftover rain dripped and pooled.
“Mom!”, he meowed in his soft kitten voice.
But as nothing responded,
He felt a sudden void.

Lowering his head,
He wished he could cry.
His tears becoming part of the water running by.

His beautiful dark eyes shimmered against the flowing pool.
All alone,
Or so he thought.
Till a reflection came into view.

Blinking once,
Then twice,
He realized he didn’t imagine his mother’s big brown eyes.

“Mom!”, he screeched in his tiny cat voice,
“Where have you been?”
His head shooting up at full force.

If cats could snicker,
You swear that’s what she did,
Before bowing her head and licking beneath his chin.

“I am here now,” she said sitting back on the cold floor.
“Did you miss me?” she asked.
Tilting her head to look at him more.

“Of course, I did!” He hollered right back.
“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too.”

“Now can I have a snack?”

There Once Was a Kitten
By: Fiona Trinket