I want to share this poem with you:

I look at the stars and want to touch them,
But I can’t jump that high.
They are not mine to possess.
I look at the toys scattered around my box;
I can touch these. I play with them all the time.
But they are not mine to possess.
I know they are not mine to possess,
Because when I knock one of them under a dresser,
I cannot retrieve it.
I must wait for a Nameless One to move the dresser
And kick it out,
And that may take months.

My purr of contentment – this is mine;
My tail standing straight up when I swagger – this is mine;
The way I curl ’round the legs of people – this is mine;
The joy of running at top speed toward the open door
At dinner time–
All this is mine.

It is mine because I express it,
Not because I possess it.
I am an a priori kitty.
You scratch my back — or I’ll scratch yours.

Verse 10, “The Tao of Meow” by Waldo Japussy

I love cats. Sometimes I feel like a cat as I lounge in a sunny window spot or on atop an electric blanket on my favorite chair. I do not have a cat, but I do possess an admiration and delight for them and that is enough for me. I may not own a little dream cottage with a garden, but what is mine is the love of gardening and enjoying a cozy, safe little space when it’s stormy.