Diana, 1996 - 2009

Diana Kelly Wagner, 31 Oct 1996 - 14 May 2009

Our gentle que-tipped, huntress of night visions,
How do we let you slip away, into the shadows?
No protests have you uttered, even against
The loss of your God given power - your claws.

You melt away, barely a whimper, just as you came;
You blessed us by sharing a dozen sacred years
With the most goodly creature ever created, not
For the love of Him, but for the joy of your family.

We first met you when called to witness your patience,
As Jessica pulled leg, tail and hair, to draw you close
While never a snarl nor swipe you struck at her,
Merely purring and loving her attention - first pet.

And so you entered the home we gave you then
Even if the cost to you was disarming at its worst;
Our choice was easy: you were and always will be
Part of our lives however brief we held you close.

Then, new home, new ways; outside cat you became;
You barely tolerated additions - Dragon & Raja,
Yet you claimed your birthright as the firstborn pet,
They were forced to accede to our preference for you.

You, only you, were allowed past that sacred hearth,
Into the sanctum of our home. We owed you much
Having taken your weapons, but you gave us more:
Love, devotion and presence we'll miss ever more.

And never will we ever spread out our work
Without remembering how you'd come, right
To the center of our project, and sprawl out
More important than anything we may've thought.

Inhabiter of open boxes and claimant to every crevice
With an opening large enough for a medium cat
To squeeze into, to fill up or at least to fit into;
Then smile so sweetly as we looked on - bemused.

We loved you best, we'll love you always; you loved
Us all as we were litter mates, and you the eldest,
Whose task it was to keep us safe, keep us dear;
And whose privilege it was to claim center stage.

LMC 14-15, 24 May 2009