Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Nirvana

My cat's name is Nirvana. He is a boy, though the name is, at best, gender neutral. Though he belongs to both me and my husband, he really is my cat. We spend the most time together. He answers to me when I call. He learned cool tricks from me. He is at least mostly my cat.

He likes spending time laying on the back of the couch, almost as if he were sitting on my shoulder. When I lean my head back, I can rest it on his body and feel him breathe as he sleeps. When I reach my hand up to stroke his face, his paws flex and kneed in the air while he purrs for just a moment before dropping back into whatever dream he might be dreaming.

On days like today, I can't express how much it means to have him here with me. I can't be alone while I have my cat. I'm so glad Nirvana found me. 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Poetry Day

We Were Never Meant to Survive
by Audre Lourde

For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone.

For those of us who were
imprinted with fear like a faint
line in the center of our
foreheads learning to be afraid
with our mother's milk.

For by this weapon,
this illusion of some safety to
be found-
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us.

For all of us
this instant and this triumph-
we were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are
afraid
it might not remain.

When the sun set sets we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed.

But when we are silent
we are still afraid.

So it is better to
speak remembering
We were never
meant to survive.