Led Astray by a Stray

a stray cat sat upon a pile of leaves
blinked, and looked up at me lovingly
longing for some warm embrace

it purred sweet songs through its whining pleas
with “won’t you feel so peaceful hugging me?”
written on its lonely face

what was i to do in such a position?
leave it alone to lick its bleeding limbs?
how cruel would it be to ignore its condition
and simply return to attending my things?

that would have been the proper course of action
for to behave in such a fashion
respects this life i’ve learned to lead

but when it swept me up in raw compassion
i couldn’t help my first reaction
and stretched an open hand to feed

food i’d spent money on for my real pet
a dainty black cat with tiny white mittens
surely the scene playing out would upset
the instincts of that territorial kitten

for days i gave the stray free meals and time
how could i not, when those dreamy eyes
screamed to me they need a savior?

those pleading pupils nailed me to their side
“you have no free will!” they seemed to decide
manipulating my behavior

the weeks i spent petting its poor knotted fur:
i wished they could stretch on for eternity!
but no matter how precious those moments were
there was simply no way they’d return with me

i might have said there was no other option;
that only with me could this cute creature function
but i knew that would be a lie.

such selfish thoughts would make me a toxin
for a cat this precious, destined for adoption
a new owner would soon come by.

though the stray became but a memory when i made it home,
still i imagine a life where i’d made it my own