Cats. Oh Cats... (And a tribute to Buddy)

By Daryl Simons Jr.

Furry little creatures of fur
Scruffy, fluffy, I don’t care
Usually most of them are cute
All unique in their own way
Loving, and love attention (normally)
Independence is their identity
Yet, they are ever so dependent

I have three (now two) of my own
Used to have one more, before
Can’t say that I ever “had” them
They more or less had me
Cats are no ordinary pets
They do what they want
However that may be

They hold grudges
They show anger and stubbornness
And they have their own attitudes
Own habits
But, despite this all
They normally reciprocate how they are treated
And thus, can be very loyal and loving

Believe this as you may
They will never care what I say
For they are cats
Just cats

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Tribute to Buddy...

There was once
A cat unlike any other
His name was Siddhartha Buddha
Buddy, for short
A big and time worn cat
When we first found him
He seemed to be like an old warrior
Random scars a plenty
Skittish, none the less
But he became trusting over time
He became family
He became a protector of the other two that resided
Very defensive and territorial
Yet, one of the most friendly
And gently animals you could ever find
For those who say animals don’t have souls
He was living proof that they do
You could just sense it
Feel it in the air
His soul permeated through his personality
It was beautiful…

One last breath, last gasp
Leaving us where this chapter began
As a member of our family
As a friend (as crazy as it sounds)
Memories of him will always remain
With everyone who was fortunate to see him
With my dad
With me
He was my buddy, our buddy, everyone’s buddy
He was Buddy