Sneezy

Sneezy, shadow soft as night, you came when bowls would sing,
A voice so small yet full of fire, demanding everything,
With bright insistence in your cry, you ruled each feeding hour,
A tiny queen in midnight fur, all hunger, will, and power.

One tooth left to claim your prize, yet never did you yield,
You faced the world with stubborn grace, no weakness ever revealed,
Each meal a triumph hard-won still, each step a quiet fight,
And though your body faltered, your spirit burned so bright.

The world grew dim before your eyes, the edges fading slow,
Yet still you walked the paths you knew, the only roads you’d go,
By memory and by instinct strong, by scents and sounds held dear,
Familiar voices guiding you, a world that held no fear.

You trusted not with easy heart, but chose your circle small,
And those you chose, you claimed as yours, your feeders, one and all,
A bond not forged in gentle ways, but something fierce and true,
A quiet love in feral form, in everything you’d do.

And when the pain grew far too great, and time could give no more,
We chose the mercy hardest still, and closed that final door,
Now silent lies the night you wore, yet echoes softly stay,
For every call at feeding time still lingers in the day.