BLACK BEAUTY
When we moved to Grandfather’s old farm
no one had been living there for a while
and all the cats had gone wild
We found a litter of kittens
hidden deep in a corner of the loft
and among them
the most beautiful black and white kitten
Spitting and crouching under the eaves
she scratched us all to the bone
If I’d been a tree there would
have been six rings
Much persistence and we got her out
much time and love and we tamed her
if one ever really tames a cat
Best cat ever
adopted by our cousins when we moved
and one of the things we most looked forward
to on our visits was Black Beauty and her newest
of who knew how many litters
The tomcats in that town were also
excellent judges of beauty