The boys were allergic
But before Dad came along
Mom had always been a cat whisperer

I saw her do it at a party once
Tongue rolling
Fingers twitching
From across the room
The little panther was entranced

Burn worthy witchcraft
I knew she had a way with birds
But this was something new
Something foreign and beautiful

Surprise surprise
It was a black kitty cat Halloween
Mom cut out ears to attach to my headband
Then drew dark brown eyeliner whiskers
With a triangle on the tip of my 6 year old nose
All in black
Part ninja
Part cat

We were off
Brother and sister
Pillowcases in hand
Noticing my lack of tail Mom called me back

She reached into the costume box and grabbed a long dark braid
With one swift tuck into the back of my pants
An instant flawless feline emerged ready to make her debut
And boy did I play the part

Prancing back from the hunt
There she was silhouetted in the doorway
Tongue rolling
Fingers twitching

******* on sweet tarts
I didn't stand a chance

A family of actors
"Mom, look what I found! Can we keep it?"
They each took turns petting the newest addition
And Dad let out a convincing sneeze

A life I could get used to
Tick Tock the cockatiel
Had better watch her back

E.Poe
*Oct 2012