Poems by
Linda Francis IT MADE MY DAY! Every day on my way to the A train, I encountered this lady and an injured cat in front of the bodega. I asked her, why does she go into the store and buy a can of cat food for this particular cat? She told me that she was at the scene one day when this man turned his pit bull loose and that the animal bit most of the cat’s tail off and left the remainder of the tail looking raw. I was overwhelmed with emotion when she said, “I would take this cat home with me, but I’m in a shelter.” I was able to understand and sympathize with her even though I don’t even like cats on the whole. BEAUTY OF THE SOUL Beauty of the soul—that was my mom. She was a very generous, caring, loving and giving person who just wanted everybody to keep on living to the best of their ability. She insisted on everyone being punctual. Being on time meant a lot to her, not bothering with what may have been on your mind. She took no sides, somewhat like the rising tides. She refused to lie to you, even if what she had to say might make you want to cry. She also believed that everyone should try to get along in harmony and try to glide through life like a rhyming song. Her motto was, try, try, try—before we have to say our last good-byes. SHE LIVED After she died this is what happened: my legs gave out at the cemetery they felt like jelly I was out of control my heart felt like it was going to give out. I stared out my 8th floor window for hours on end. I lost twenty pounds in a short period of time. I almost fell in that hole but I was to fill in the dashes from 1918 to 2005. I walked away all in one piece. Situations15
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