Tristan’s Way
Jenny Bienemann
Tristan was a cat
born on a construction site
who just loved to work
Say you were crouched down
digging through the old junk drawer
he’d climb in to help
or doing laundry
he’d lie on the warm clean clothes
inspecting your work
or you’d play guitar
his tail keeping time until
you’d pet him again
He was a man’s cat
he preferred men’s company
but women loved him
He let them love him
and when no men were around
he'd turn on the charm
But he knew somehow
men needed him in a way
women never would
And what he needed
was to be useful, to work
to be of service
Cats don’t get to choose
they don’t get to kid themselves
about who they are
only the humans
make up an ideal and try
to live up to it
finding endless fault
in themselves and each other
for not being it
to know your own mind
make the difference you can make
and let the rest go?
That is Tristan’s Way
and once you start to choose it
it will bring you home.
Rest In Peace, Tristan Michael Bienemann.
