Stray Life

My mother was a purebred feline
Thrown out young
Part refined, part feral
She became a barn cat
Carried a full litter
Nearly alone
She tried to keep them
In her own way
But they were all wild together
Feeding on rodents
And random scraps of generosity
Biting at each other
For their daily necessities
Her barn became her purebred palace
And her litter moved on
But she still brings home rodents
Searching the dark corners
For her missing mews
While the scraps dried up
She moans and calls
To an empty barn
The only place she feels at home

There’s no more tragic story
Than that of a barn cat.