by Pat Pettit
A Story by Trouble:Hello from the rainbow bridge. My name was Trouble, I was almost fifteen years old when I got a lump in my belly and was taken to the doctor's office. I know my human parents were worried about me for days, but I wasn't hurting or being messy. I had lost a lot of weight, but hey, I was old. Anyway, the doctor felt my stomach and that hurt. I hissed at him. My mom started asking questions and dad picked me up and was hugging me. The doctor was saying something about cancer of the stomach and being kind and letting him go on the table. Then mom picked me up and was crying. I didn't know what was going on, then they left me with the doctor. The next thing I knew I was breathing something sweet and that was all I remember. I had a nice life. I lived with the same human parents from the time I was six weeks old. They gave me baths on a regular basis because my hair was so long and silky and it needed constant attention. When I first got to their house they had a dog-named Lassie and she taught me the rules of the house. We were together constantly and I really thought that I must be a dog too, because I did all the same things that Lassie did and we played really nice together. Then Lassie went away and I learned that I was a cat. Things changed after that, but not too much, because I liked my human parents and they loved me. But that sitting on the lap stuff ended, and I never did come to them when they called me again. That's dog stuff. I was a really good hunter. We lived in a subdivision and I would go out to work everyday. I cleaned out all the mice in a two-block area. Then I started on some bigger things that my parents called squirrels and I even got some birds. About this time, we moved to the country and there was a whole new batch of mice and something called chipmunks. I never ate any of these things. I always brought them home for mom and dad to see. I never did know what they did with those neat presents, but I didn't see them again. One-day mom came home with a little squeaker of a kitten. I pretended not to like it at all, but I watched it constantly. I had to box it's ears a few times when it broke the rules of the house. I didn't want mom and dad to think that I was doing bad things, so I couldn't let this little one do them either. It finally grew up enough that it became an interesting companion and I tried to teach it how to hunt and do things outside. The little rascal didn't want to be outside much, he would rather stay with mom or dad and sit on their laps and talk to them. What a dummy. I think they called him Sandy. Oh well, so much the better that I didn't have to be bothered by him too much. Sometime later they brought home a little white fuzzball. Now there was a kitten that interested me. By this time I was getting really old and really set in my ways, but this little girl made me remember the good old days of chasing mice and birds and exploring the outside world. I showed her around the place and gave her a few pointers. She showed real promise that one. I don't understand where they got a name like Lucky, but she didn't care what they called her. She was a pretty cool cat, no sitting on laps for her either. Way to go girl. Well, here I am at the rainbow bridge where I am young and healthy again. There are a lot of us here and we have lots of time to hunt and play, lots of good things to eat and the sleeping places are soft and plentiful. I know someday one of my parents will come here and we will cross that beautiful bridge together.
TO MOM AND DAD FROM TROUBLE
Mom and Dad I know your were sad to see me go,
When that nasty stomach cancer laid me low,
But I want you to believe that someday we’ll be together,
You and me and Lassie too, and all our friends forever.
I’m here with my friend Lassie, who says to say ‘hello’,
You know that dog still thinks I’m quite the special fellow,
We chase and play and leap and run,
We don’t get sick, we don’t get tired, we just have fun.
Some say that only people go to heaven, but that’s not true,
There’s lots of cats and doggies here and even mice and birdies too,
I know you’ll come to be with me some day,
God wouldn’t want it any other way.
I’ll wait for you by the Rainbow Bridge,
You know the place near the starry ridge,
We’ll dance and sing ‘neath the pale moonlight,
And our cares and worries will all take flight.
A Poem by Henry Rockwood.