Jeannie

Jeannie

It was love at first sight
The first time I saw her
Was a warm August evening
In 2004

She was the runt of the litter
Weighed just four pounds
With six toes on her front paws
And so tiny  that
her ears and paws
Made her look like the Lorax

I was 21
Had just moved to a new town
And rented my first apartment.
I was looking forward to starting a
new chapter in my life
After a painful year of trauma and loss
And I wanted a cat.

So when a little girl who lived
Around the corner
Asked me if I wanted a free kitten
Of course I said yes!

Originally her name
Was Phoebe
But when she crossed her paws
And blinked at me
A la’ Jeannie on I dream of Jeannie
I changed her name.

That was eight years ago
Since then, Jeannie and I
Have been through
Hell and back.

We’ve gotten our Master’s Degree-
she takes credit for making me take breaks
so as not to get too burned out.
To do this
She would plop on my book or binder
And scowl at me and refuse to move.

She cuddled with me
That terrible day
I found out
My mom had ODed.

She was waiting for me in the window
When I came back from the hospital
And sat on my lap all night

Jeannie was with me
When I found out
My mom was going to be ok

We’ve bought a house
A cozy little two bedroom home
With a nice backyard
And best of all, a creek
Where I can sit and think
Up stories while I sit on the bank.
She sits in the window and watches me
Think up the next Gone with the Wind
I hope

We (I) adopted another
Kitten years ago.
From the SPCA
Where again it was love at first sight.
Jeannie was  not thrilled
But has adjusted to her new sister


And now, as I go through
Some B.S. drama at work
I think, it doesn’t matter
I’ve been through so much worse
As long as I have my
Jeannie
I will always be okay.