Poem: A Rescue Remembered

January 11, 2022January 12, 2022 Bernadette

ink sketch of black on windowsill — “Looking Out on the Morning”, ink drawing pen, 6″ x 6″ © B.E. Kazmarski

I wrote this poem in 2011 and published it here in 2014 with this introduction, the “colder cold than usual” so like this week, and remembering Mimi all those years ago when I saw her outside in the snow and ice. It’s funny how little some things have changed in the past decade. So here’s a thought and a memory for my rescue post this week.

I love winter and snow, bare trees and angled sunlight. Visiting my little back yard daily in all weather reminds me of the cycles, and when winter slush starts to seem old or the long nights start to seem longer instead of shorter I know that I only need to get up each day and remember this and it will change on its own.

But today it’s a little different—I’m watching my little world descend into colder cold than usual for my area, the gray light, the stillness as the earth protectively settles in for a short hibernation. I wish for all living things to be safe and warm in this time, and thank all of those who care for stray and feral cats living outdoors as well as those providing for wildlife.

Most of my cats, Mimi especially, join me at the big north window otherwise known as “Cat TV” to fill the bird feeders which provide our entertainment. The window is nearly a story above the ground, and a twiggy lilac stands just outside; below the window is a rough wooden shelf where years ago I had set window boxes for shade-loving summer flowers until there was too much shade even for impatiens. All the kitties lean out the window and breathe in the air, be it warm and mild or frigid and crystalline, and occasionally one or another will wander out onto shelf.

I wrote this poem in 2011 when Mimi, suddenly bored with this indoor cat life, stepped out onto the windowsill headed for the shelf covered with ice, her tiny paws sinking into a light snow-cover, her fur ruffled by a stiff cold wind. She stopped, lifted one paw, turned around to look at me.

A Rescue Remembered

I open a window to fill a bird feeder,
little Mimi steps out onto the snow-covered windowsill,
squints at the cold,
lifts one tiny paw and curls it to her chest,
looks up at me;
yes, Mimi, I remember seeing you
outside on frigid, snowy mornings like this,
mincing gingerly down a frozen sidewalk,
all that is now but a story for your children.

She wasn’t making a break for it, but remembering those days and enjoying the sweetness of her home.

Enjoy other poems about my cats including a few poems I’ve recorded on audio or with slideshows.

Read other poetry on my poetry page.

Read other stories in my Rescue Stories series.

Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

Feline Artwork from Portraits of Animals!

The illustration above is a different window from th epoem—the bathroom facing east for the sunrise—but it’s Mimi looking out on a frosty December morning called “Looking Out on the Morning”. It reflects Mimi’s feeling about this subject as she looks out on a frosty morning from her windowsill with a jar of my paintbrushes; she belongs, she has a home, this home, it is hers now. I get the feeling she never forgets this. Read more and purchase.

Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.