It was Saint George’s day
nineteen seventy-two,
a Sunday,
when we found him newborn
in a laundry basket
and named him Moses.
He was one of three
in his mother’s litter and later
in the summer
we took him hiking
sometimes leashed
and often carried,
he remained forever kitten
mountain cat companion
since later during the Olympics,
his back was broken by a car,
and today I remember more
the grave we made
in a neighbor’s compost than
the massacre
of athletes that must
have happened later.
Today we write about our pet companions at dVerse. I have not had a pet for many many years, but Moses was a kitten we had for a short while, and he has stayed in my memory since then.
—
April 21, 2020
This brought tears to my eyes Bjorn. How tender and poignant.
Your Moses was a handsome boy, Björn, and I love the story of how you found him n a laundry basket! I haven’t tried putting our cats on leads – Luna definitely wouldn’t like that, but Mojo might allow it, she’s quite malleable. I love the lines:
‘he remained forever kitten
mountain cat companion’.
So sad that he was killed by a car.
It’s amazing how much I remember from his short life… even the his birthday (I was a boyscout) and that he died during the Olympics…
Oh my gosh, your sister could have been a child model. She is insanely gorgeous!!! I hope you’ll post more photos of her.
She was very cute…
Bjorn, if Moses made that much of an impression on you then, a furbaby may be in your future. Cats have a sense of showing up when the time is right. I love the picture. Your sister looks blissfully happy with Moses riding along.
So heartbreaking. I dont think we ever stop missing them. If I were allowed to (I am a renter and am not) I would have another in a heartbeat.
Our last cat was a stray, and he stayed with us for 15 years. A tough, but lovable old Tom he was, ruling our neighborhood.
I like this! 🤗 Moses is a cute and apt name. Also, if I’m not mistaken, Saint George’s day is two days from now, so it’s almost the anniversary of when you found him.
St George is the patron saint of boyscouts and I was a scout back then so we had actually celebrated when we came back to the kittens
Your Moses, my Snoodles… It’s amazing how the memories of our beloved pets remain after all these years.
I remember a turtle I had named when I was very young. I remember crying when he accidently died one day. This poem reminded me of Columbus.
Mountain and cat! I love the idea. I wish I could try it in this lifetime. To camp out with a cat, snuggle beneath the moons and stars. To watch sunrise together. It’s a beautiful poem, Bjorn.
oh god! how you wrote a tragedy so tenderly, Bjorn! This line is genius: he remained forever kitten
A wonderful rendering of the things that make an impact.
A beautiful and sad story!
Very touching!
a lovely wistful remembrance, interesting how the loss of Moses is more poignantly remembered than the massacre …
I really like this poem about priorities.
Ohhh, very interesting piece!