You were a beautiful cat to my gaze,
With eyes that captured and quietly swayed.

I chased every flicker, each playful deceit,
Drawn to your steps, though lost in defeat.

You toyed with my hope, led me astray,
Till breath turned to longing, then sorrow, then gray.

But one day I fled, broke free from the snare,
And saw the soft truth beneath all your flair:

My beautiful cat, with charm so untrue —
I was never your love… only prey to you.

I dwell alone in this gray hinterland,
While friends I love live past its edge.
An outsider — I’ve made my stand,
My soul unmoved by local pledge.

They cast their judgment, dull and dry,
Their world drained of hue or grace.
But I won't flinch, nor question why —
For love once lived in a brighter place.

For my friends, I’ll bear this ache,
This exile etched in time and land.
It’s fleeting, like a dream I’ll shake,
A fading echo I’ll not withstand.

For my heart, I’ll cross the line,
To warmth, to truth, to those who see —
The ones who held my hand in time,
The ones who simply loved all of me.