Two Gray, Two Black, and One in Between | Teen Ink

Two Gray, Two Black, and One in Between

August 16, 2011
By PhoenixCrossing GOLD, Tinley Park, Illinois
PhoenixCrossing GOLD, Tinley Park, Illinois
14 articles 0 photos 178 comments

Five beautiful bodies
Awaiting destiny in the back seat
Ears pricked
Paws shuffling
Two gray, two black
One in between
Plea after plea annihilates my heart
Left in teeny tiny pieces
That resemble each and every one of their furry faces

At the shelter,
Their eyes pleaded, "Please not me."
While their bodies kicked and screamed, "I thought you loved me! I love you!"
And their fur puffed into choruses of, "Don't leave me. Please."
Breathing shifts into a struggle
As if i resided underwater
Saltwater slaving down my tinged cheeks
More vast and knowing than the ocean
Yet each meow of distress still feels like a stab in the back
But I'm caressing the knife.

Staring at their cages,
I attempt to muster up courage
To plead for their understanding and forgiveness
While guilt taints my every nerve
For sneaking peeks at others' cutie pies
When I should be spending every last second I have with mine.
Never again will their faces beg my hand for a caress
And never again will I be comforted by their purrs.

I can't help but to slip my fingers between the bars
And wrestle with their ears
Paws flash and swipe at my knotted, messy hair
Attempting to pull me in
As if I could squeeze myself into that prison and halt this sudden change,
This sudden void in my heart and home.
Those bars keep them in
But worse, keep me out.

While the adopters view my sob-story,
I whisper those last heart-wrenching words
Unable to produce my pure, ringing voice
The one I know that'll haunt their dreams
Wishing to take them back to their toys
Back to my warm, familiar twin bed
Back to freedom
When all I can hope is that those
Two gray, two black
and one in between
Will be happy and loved
For that is something I can no longer provide.


The author's comments:
Today we had to give 5 out of 8 cats to a no-kill shelter because we could no longer keep them. This poem depicts what happened today and how it's killing me inside.

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This article has 19 comments.


Daesha SILVER said...
on Aug. 11 2012 at 6:53 am
Daesha SILVER, Dalby, Other
9 articles 1 photo 28 comments

Favorite Quote:
Everything happens for a reason

Once again, I am amazed at your incredible talent with words. This piece was moving, and I loved how it flowed. 5 star rating from me :)

on Jan. 9 2012 at 3:07 pm
Goddess PLATINUM, Connellsville, Pennsylvania
27 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

not many poems and stories can move me but thiis one did just that. amazing work. keep on writing.

on Dec. 11 2011 at 11:56 am
Helena_Noel BRONZE, Burnt Hills, New York
1 article 0 photos 629 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way: The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear, fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear.” -Edgar Guest

 This is moving....... I know what is is like to have to give up your pet. I had to do it twice recenty, because my parents thought we couldn't have two dogs, then they stupidly got rid of the dominant one, and the other, normally very sweet one, went crazy because it didn't know what to do without it's sister. Eventually they got my family a new dog, and it scares me to death to think that if something happens to make it so we can't take care of him, my best furry freind might have to go to a shelter......

 

Anyhow, I love the imagery of this poem. I think that is your strongest point and you are very good at it. I could see the entire sence as it happened, playing out before my eyes in a way that seemed more real than the computer in front of my face or the keys at my finger tips. Great work. Five stars.

 

Could you comment on a poem called "Sadly, Happily Saying Goodbye"?


on Dec. 2 2011 at 10:27 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity. <br /> ~Amoniel<br /> <br /> "Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'" <br /> ~Thesilentraven

Awww, this is incredible, heartwrenching, and very descriptive! You shrink not from expressing true feelings, writing down every moment of a thankless task, no?

on Aug. 31 2011 at 4:03 pm
XxMidnightKissxX SILVER, Hardinsburg, Indiana
7 articles 0 photos 30 comments

Favorite Quote:
Love me or hate me, I don&#039;t care which, just don&#039;t try and change me.

This is really beautiful! 

on Aug. 24 2011 at 2:55 pm
ChocoMint SILVER, Bloomington, Indiana
7 articles 0 photos 129 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.&quot; - Anonymous <br /> <br /> &quot;Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.&quot; - Anonymous

You can really feel the emotion!  I love the way you form your sentences, but you might try and keep the lines/stanzas the same length.   

on Aug. 23 2011 at 11:42 pm
divingforreality GOLD, Fontana, California
10 articles 7 photos 18 comments
Animals... better relationships than humans, most times.

Princess14 said...
on Aug. 23 2011 at 9:49 pm
Princess14, Youngstown, Ohio
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If this is what you want, GO FOR IT.!&quot;

1 word: BEAUTIFUL, words cant explain.!

on Aug. 23 2011 at 9:38 pm
writing.is.my.life. SILVER, Newburgh, New York
7 articles 0 photos 29 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.&quot; Philippians 4:13<br /> <br /> &quot;Perspective is a lovely hand to hold.&quot; -Matthew Thiessen

This is really well written!! You're an awesome poet. Keep up the good work.

Dark_Mind GOLD said...
on Aug. 23 2011 at 8:35 pm
Dark_Mind GOLD, Little Rock, Arkansas
11 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Sounds like a Personal Problem.&quot;

Very nice, It was beautiful. I loved the flow of it, from beginning to end. Sad concept but still a nice poem.

on Aug. 23 2011 at 5:58 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I have a life. I just choose to ignore it.&quot;<br /> -one of my friends

Oh this is incredible! It made me want to cry. I could feel the emotion and sadness of this piece. Beautiful and heart touching!

on Aug. 22 2011 at 10:51 pm
Jessi_suarez1 GOLD, Kissimmee, Florida
16 articles 0 photos 98 comments
wow extremely touching. job well done !

on Aug. 22 2011 at 10:02 pm
BetweenWorks SILVER, Charlotte, North Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
The meaning of life is a question that you have already answered.

Oh that stinks. Thanks for telling me it does that though.

on Aug. 22 2011 at 6:38 pm
PhoenixCrossing GOLD, Tinley Park, Illinois
14 articles 0 photos 178 comments
I didnt write the quote thing. Those used to be quotation marks and it changed when it was publi

on Aug. 22 2011 at 2:04 pm
JerseyGirl716 BRONZE, Central, New Jersey
2 articles 0 photos 92 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.&quot; -Eleanor Roosevelt

Earlier this morning we had to give seven stray kittens and their mother to a no-kill shelter... Ugh this made me start crying again! I have two dogs and we just couldn't keep them, and the mother was almost hit by a Jeep today so I know that was the best option for the, but I'm still sad :( 5/5, you did a great job with this!

Bambi67 SILVER said...
on Aug. 22 2011 at 11:23 am
Bambi67 SILVER, Chicago, Illinois
9 articles 1 photo 58 comments

Favorite Quote:
remember that the future comes one day at a time. <br /> Dean Acheson

wow this is great and very touching...keep writing!!=)

on Aug. 22 2011 at 9:34 am
Hazel-daisy GOLD, --, Other
19 articles 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else - Erna Bombeck<br /> <br /> In three words i can sum up everything I&#039;ve learned in life: it goes on -Robert Frost<br /> <br /> Live, Love, Laugh - ______<br /> <br /> Hope, Love, breathe &lt;3 - Me

this is really sad, but its better that they go to somewhere where they can be looked after fully. I think its written really well and its very emotional. It's an interesting topic to write about, not many would think of it! :)

on Aug. 21 2011 at 10:39 pm
BetweenWorks SILVER, Charlotte, North Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
The meaning of life is a question that you have already answered.

This is a really touching poem. It was very well written. The only thing I would change is the ""e". I thought it interrupt the flow but still that is overlooked in my head by everything else you did in this poem great job!

on Aug. 21 2011 at 10:04 pm
thetruthawaits94 SILVER, Duncan, Oklahoma
9 articles 0 photos 351 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain.

This makes me sad, but also happy at the same time. The thing that you wrote about made me sad, but the way you wrote it was lovely and made me smile. i absolutely love the title. I didn't know what it was going to be about but when i found out i just loved it! The way you described this in such a beautiful way was touching. I'm sure the kittens found a home!!! :) Great work!