Generosity
Generous, my cat
Who shares her mouse
Upon my shoe, within my house.
It’s gently placed upon the lace.
And cat is gone, without a trace.
How generous of you, dear cat!
But next time, could you please
Leave it in the garden,
Somewhere by the trees?
It’s not that I’m not grateful—
Please, believe me, I’m so honored.
You’re the queen of the yard,
A tough, confident guard,
And nobody doubts your skill.
(I see it with each of your kills).
You have so many talents—you’ll stretch yourself thin.
So, I’ll tell you a secret that’s really win-win:
Take “generous” off of your list.
(And I’ll feed you whatever you wish).
For I can be generous, too.
Just don’t leave me gifts on my shoes.
Who shares her mouse
Upon my shoe, within my house.
It’s gently placed upon the lace.
And cat is gone, without a trace.
How generous of you, dear cat!
But next time, could you please
Leave it in the garden,
Somewhere by the trees?
It’s not that I’m not grateful—
Please, believe me, I’m so honored.
You’re the queen of the yard,
A tough, confident guard,
And nobody doubts your skill.
(I see it with each of your kills).
You have so many talents—you’ll stretch yourself thin.
So, I’ll tell you a secret that’s really win-win:
Take “generous” off of your list.
(And I’ll feed you whatever you wish).
For I can be generous, too.
Just don’t leave me gifts on my shoes.
This poem is copyright (©) Veronica Szczygiel 2024
About the Writer
Veronica Szczygiel
Veronica Szczygiel, Ph.D., is a writer and Director of Online Learning at Fordham University in New York City. She loves to hike and camp with her survivalist husband and their rescue dog Sonia. She gardens with her adopted cat Shadow in her magical urban backyard, bakes bread and fruit tarts, paints landscapes, travels, and reads avidly. Veronica has published in Highlights High Five, FAITH, Radiant, Busted Halo and other multimedia publications. You can find her work on her website, veronicaszczygiel.com.
