I leap through fields chasing mice,

My right ear torn from previous fights.

A rat runs out onto the road.

My yowl screams the hunting code.

My claws flash out, the urge to pounce.

The creature, I completely trounce.

Dead at my feet, I claim my prize,

Hide it away from prying eyes.

Exhausted from my escapades,

I head back home, where my man stays.

My life is touched by human paws

But I am bettered by this flaw.

The asphalt grinds beneath my feet

A light appears on that black street

And out of nowhere comes a beast

Which roaring, fiercely makes its feast.

The metal brute strikes fast but sure.

A burst of pain, mine to endure,

My bones collapse, mind filled with dread

The thing speeds off and I am DEAD.

All around are visions keen

Of lives now past, these dreams unseen

I am a god; I am a stray;

I am a pet, now hunter, prey.

A choice is given to me now:

Another life or final bow?

My last three lives- shall they be mine

Or rest at last in worlds divine?

A voice comes sobbing through the mist

My human friend, grief now persists.

I cannot leave him all alone,

I find the strength to come back home.

My eyelids open, filled with dirt.

I bulldoze upward through the earth.

Pure light, fresh air barrage me then.

Pain surges, but I live again.

I stagger on my throbbing way,

Arrive at door and there I stay.

Strong hands find me and there I stir

They stroke me and I start to purr.

My body not yet good as new

Still hunts the bird, the mouse, the shrew.

My ventures may still leave me burned,

But to my home, I will return.