I Want to Come Back as a Cat

 

to be fed tuna and water, cuddled,

pampered, to get fresh litter twice

a day, to be let outdoors when it’s

sunny and be let in when I meow,

to be left alone when I sit

in the window or nap half the day,

and not be scolded when I wander

at night and wake the house

in the morning, and be forgiven

if I knock a knickknack or doodad

off a shelf or table, and be greeted

with a smile no matter if I puke

on the rug or bedspread, and be

loved, loved, loved no matter what.

​

James Kangas is a retired librarian and musician living in Flint, Michigan. His poems have appeared in Atlanta Review, Faultline, The New York Quarterly, The Penn Review, and Unbroken, namely. His chapbook, Breath of Eden (Sibling Rivalry Press), was published in 2019.

​

​

​