sugar, sweet -

YOU ... small, furry, soft, warm, joyful, sweet little creature, came to me in a shadow ... a time when my heart ran cold, kicked far down the road by sorrow, and lost as any hobo without a compass. I had given hopes and dreams their pink slips ... shown their sorry, deceitful little selves the door, and told them where to put their accursed optimism. Then YOU ... you who had been so neglected and abused by others of my race, others who had seen kittens as something less than themselves ... something for their twisted amusement ... something meant for the focus of their ire and hatred and evil intent ... something at the mercy of the dominion granted them by their so-called "acumen" ... YOU, Sugar ... had come with such a simple name, a name I had every intent of changing to something far more artistic, or worldly, or cute, or extravagant, and yet as the time passed those first days with me, as you worked your gentle, loving, tender, amiable, precious, good-natured way deep into my heart, it was more-and-more evident that whoever had given YOU your moniker, had somehow, through their sinister intent, STILL been unmistakably affected by your pure and precious spirit, and had out-done my best intentions and wholly self-lauded creativity, (as well as trumped my attempts to attach a name to you that others would feel obligated to soak with feigned praise), by giving you a sweet epithet which, in its absolute simplicity and virtue, was nothing less than PERFECT. YOU, my sweet little Sugar, abide the very essence of your name, and you have not only sweetened my days beyond measure, but have saved my life in ways that I'll never be able to impart you. Who knew that the dark clouds of my heart would be rent by such a fuzzy little face of sunshine - that all I needed was a little bit of YOU. ~ 2nd Place ~ in the "My Companion And Close Friend That Never Complains" Poetry Contest, Eve Roper, Judge & Sponsor. ~ 5th Place ~ in the "Just A Little Bit Of Sugar Poetry Contest", Debbie Guzzi, Judge & Sponsor.