She didn’t want a cat
(In the same way
Dads say they don’t want a dog
That will need to be fed
And walked
And cleaned up after
But then a dog inevitably arrives
And the two become inseparable)
She didn’t want a cat
And it was nice for awhile
Not being tripped at midnight
When you’re just trying to pee
Or opening doors
And keeping them open
Without feeling like a jailer
In the middle
Of a mass escape
She didn’t want a cat
We used to have a cat
Who was persnickety
And needy
And loud
And we loved her a lot
And the cat passed away
And that made us all really sad
For awhile
She didn’t want a cat
She made that very clear
So we got two
