Beloved Companions -Part 1-

**This is a special set of poetry written with my friend Justin Connor--we each wrote separate accounts of special companions. The ending verse we wrote together. These poems are meant to be one piece of work. ** Scarcely a year old, I remember with sad, sinking heart But then I smile, because I remember all the good times It was the night of Pentecost, our little kitten was found My mother, happy to bring in the oddest of pets, Curled her fingers around a small kitten, beaming And there was sunlight in all eyes all the night He had been crying in the bushes for a place to stay And he had found one…it might have been destiny There was something in his green eyes that dazzled me Weakening and strengthening my heart all in one I held him in my arms, A special cat on a special day Pentecost is his name, and it is here he will remain I remember everyone loved him because of his grace That dreamy eye and soft-hearted face I remember the first night and many more nights to come I turned my music box, opened it up and sang him a song He listened intently and soon was fast asleep His small colorful multi-marked body breathing deeply His tiny, white boot legs tucked under his chest “You’re the best, Pentecost,” I whispered. “You’re the best…” Even my father, who was never fond of cats, Was won over by his embraceable charms Pentecost would spawn an effort to make him smile Stretching out on the floor making sure everyone was watching Listening lovingly to my dad’s favorite classical repertoire.. He would ring around our ankles with his paws playfully Causing us to scream in shock and skip away He would jump back from the shriek making us laugh up a storm And look up at all the noise curiously Pentecost also liked small boxes to squeeze into I would lift up a cardboard flap to see a whiskered jewel And he would look up at us and wonder Can we make room for two? He favored no one and was friendly with all Long and muscular, this cat had boundless energy One point he’d be at the window And the next in the laundry, his tail whipping What I will never forget was how happy he would lay in the grass I would watch him and pet him, the sun hitting his fur Gray black stripes and swirls of art lighting all at once His soft, sensitive ears rubbing against my arm The affection was mutual as Destiny knew