Kern's Holler Contrarian
Mr. Kitty Goes Home


RIP Mr. Kitty

by Paul Jamison

A cat named Mr. Kitty waits on the lakeshore. The surface of the lake is undisturbed by wind and as smooth as glass. The far shore of the lake is completely hidden by a pearly white mist. Mr. Kitty watches the mist; he's waiting for something. From time to time, he looks over his shoulder at something inland. It's not something that he can see with his eyes, but he feels it with his heart.

A small sailboat, with a picture of a beautiful rainbow on the sail, appears out of the mist and heads for the shore. The crew consists of four ferrets. At the tiller is Harley-Bug of Canada, judging the course with two good eyes. Working the sails is Big Bear of Oregon, his hind legs whole and strong again. On the bridge, showing the way, are Kodo from Michigan and White Russian, whose tragic stories have inspired so many.

The boat pulls close to shore, and Mr. Kitty climbs aboard. As the boat pulls away and heads for the white mist and the unknown land beyond it, he keeps his eyes on the shore behind him, feeling the love that will last for all time. And he smiles.

Watching from some distance along the shore is Rabbi Sammy, a Dark-Eyed White ferret wearing a black yarmulke. With him is his wife, Clarissa, a Cinnamon ferret jill, and her little son Levi, an Albino kit. They want to travel to the Bridge someday, but they are creatures of the imagination; they don't know if they can. Levi reaches for the pretty sail with his little paws, but it's too far away. As the boat, with its precious passenger on his final journey, sails silently across the lake, Sammy begins to sing:

They say there's a place
Where dreams have all gone.
They never said where,
But I think I know.
It's miles through the night,
Just over the dawn,
On the road that will take me home. 


I know in my bones
I've been here before.
The ground feels the same,
Though the land's been torn.
I've a long way to go -
The stars tell me so -
On this road that will take me home. 


Love waits for me 'round the bend,
Leads me endlessly on.
Surely sorrows shall find their end,
And all our troubles will be gone.
And I'll know what I've lost
And all that I've won,
When the road finally takes me home. 


And when I pass by,
Don't lead me astray.
Don't try to stop me.
Don't stand in my way.
I'm bound for the hills
Where cool waters flow
On this road that will take me home. 


Love waits for me 'round the bend,
Leads me endlessly on.
Surely sorrows shall find their end,
And all our troubles will be gone.
And we'll know what we've lost
And all that we've won,
When the road finally takes us home.


I'm going home.

Levi waves his little paws and says, "Bye-bye."

This is how I pay tribute on the ferret boards to a fuzzie that has left. I make no apologies ofr posting it here.

Dr. LoBotomy, I offer my condolences for the passing of your friend.

Paul

"Going Home", words and music by Mary Fahl, Glenn Patschell, and Byron Isaac.