Poem – Part I

I. Adopting and Adapting 
I brought the handsome animal home, 

sparing him the shelter’s syringe; 

watched the old cat acclimate 

to a place that wasn’t a cage, 

his worry-glossed eyes wide, peeking 

meekly from the open carrier, 

the massive frame of him trembling, 

his nervous nose twitching, 

sniffing the well-worn gray carpet 

while creeping forward into the light – 

curiously, cautiously touring my apartment – 

exploring the rooms of new life.