Cats are the runes of beauty, invincibility, wonder, pride, freedom, coldness, self-sufficiency, and dainty individuality.

 

Dear Neighbors:

When I was four years old my parents got a Siamese kitten. They named him TS to honor T.S. Eliot, who wrote wonderful poems about cats. In addition, the initials were an abbreviation of a name that they created for him: Thanum (a Thai name) and Suryadharma, which means 'he who finds his way' in Hindi. Having multiple names was a necessity. As T.S. Eliot said "a cat must have three different names"; specifically, one that is "familiar", one that is "particular", and one that is "secretive." Naturally TS never divulged what his secret name was.

  TS adored my mother, and gracefully tolerated my father and I. He was a beautiful, elegant, ferocious, opinionated, and sometimes lordly creature. When we lived in the mountain village in Lebanon, he roamed the countryside, bringing home presents for my mother, including live snakes. He loved the winter snows and would even allow his carefully maintained hauteur to slip, becoming a youngster again as he boinged his way, Tigger style, across the white garden. When we moved to our apartment in Cyprus, he created his own fiefdom around our building, beating up any cat who dared to set foot in his territory without first paying homage to him. 

   He was the first cat I got to know, and I have had many cats in my life since. One thing that they all have in common is that they were, and are, very confident of their own superiority. In my experience, they will come when called, if it suits them. They go off for many hours having mysterious adventures that I know nothing about. They somehow always manage to make one feel honored when they deem to purr or sit on a lap. Unlike dogs, cats give nothing away. They are a mystery, an enigma. However, they usually can be persuaded to step down from their thrones if they are offered a suitable incentive. T.S. Eliot knew and understood cats very well and said: “Before a Cat will condescend To treat you as a trusted friend, Some little token of esteem Is needed, like a dish of cream.”    

Whiskers in the Moonlight

In shadows cast by silver beams,

A feline roams, a creature of dreams.

Whiskers in moonlight, eyes ablaze,

Mysteries whispered through hidden maze.

Oh, the grace of a cat, a sight divine,

A world within, an enigmatic sign.

Their elegance poised, with gentle sway,

Silent footfalls in the darkness play.

In nocturnal prowls, they find their way,

Their whiskers quiver, senses in array.

Through moonlit alleys, they dance and gleam,

Whiskers in moonlight, a mesmerizing theme.

Their eyes, like orbs of golden light,

Reflecting secrets, a moonlit night.

In their presence, a calm descends,

Whiskers in moonlight, a charm that transcends.

With whispered purrs, they cast a spell,

In their velvet paws, a tale to tell.

Oh, the allure of a cat's soft gaze,

Whiskers in moonlight, a magical maze.

So, let us honor their mysterious art,

The whiskered wonders that stole our heart.

For in their presence, a world's unfurled,

Whiskers in moonlight, a timeless twirl.

Henry Berg 

Art by Lesley Anne Ivory

Title quote by H.P Lovecraft