When I was a girl
I found a stray kitten
Feral and frightened
it ran and hid
and would not come
to my kitty-kitty calls
But my love was strong
and my patience resolute
I set out fragrant food
and sat a few yards away
so still
for so long
I watched the kitten peep
from behind a tree
her little nose sniffed the air
But she had been chased
and terrified by big people before
So she stayed where it was safe
and just looked with her large eyes
despite the hunger gnawing her belly
Slowly, so slowly
she stepped one foot
in front of the other
ready to bolt
at any sign
of danger
And still I stayed
stable as a stump
till finally she reached the bowl
and, eyes locked on me
tasted the food
Every day we repeated this dance
and I sat a little closer
until at last she let me stroke her
and later still, to pick her up
to name her
to claim her
as my own
Now I realize
I was the kitten
neglected and bruised
now as the girl
with tender tenacity
I refuse to give up
If perfect love
casts out all fear
then this
is how
it happens
by Celeste Boudreaux, October 2020
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