Song for Ulysses

She gave me love
She took me in her arms and made me whole
She gave me love
I never wanted anything else but to be in her embrace
There in black and white.

They took me away
They put me in with the mad and dangerous souls
They took me away
Ten years and more I suffered alone
There in black and white.

But I prevailed
My ruses killed my liege’s enemies
And I prevailed
When the walls were burned I realised all I'd won
There in black and white.

I strove for home
I wandered long and lost though I was found
I strove for home
It took me time to understand how much I’d won
There in black and white.

She took me back
She took me in her arms and I was whole
She took me back
Gone was youth, and gone was passion, but our love remained
My black was streaked with white.

The grass is soft
Sun dappled shadow softly warms my head
The grass is soft
I wish I could hold her in my arms to console her for her love
Lost in black and white.

She gave me love.

The old cat II

It wasn't where I looked
It wasn't in any room
Or in the yard.

The other cat didn't have it
Nor did my people.

It didn't come in tins or packets
It didn't come at night
It didn't come when I called.

I had a hole where it should have been that I couldn't fill.

But I think I know where it is now
And I don't have to look any more.

Gomez, the Mad Cat of La Mancha. 1991? - 14 November 2007

The old cat

It's colder than it used to be.
The sun takes longer to warm my bones.
Laps are not as comfortable.

The birds are faster and tree branches are higher.
It's too much bother to climb them.
I don't go out because the dogs are so much fiercer.

I sleep a lot. Sometimes I lose track of what time of day it is.
The food they give me doesn't taste of much.
I keep forgetting what I was doing, and I can't find whatever it was in any room.

There used to be more cats around here.
I can't smell them - they've gone somewhere I can't follow.
I hope it's warmer there than it is here.

When I sleep I dream of warmer sun, slower birds, the other cats.
But I keep waking up.