Charlie, the main feline of this tail, lived with my aunt for many years. Coming in a long line of very large yellow cats my aunt had in her life, all named Charlie, he was of indeterminate age in the records. The Charlie this tale is about was the last my aunt would have on this earth.

. My matante and Charlie lived together for many years, always sharing their daily meals. My aunt holding the food in her hand, and Charlie obligingly eating it. They shared an interesting diet.
what my Aunt ate, Charlie ate.

The selection was large and varied, donuts to water chestnuts, could be found on the menu.  Their favorite delectable delight, unanimously voted upon, was most assuredly pepperoni.

Hardly a balanced diet for a cat.
But both were full and happy,
Charlie not being your normal cat.

After all, this feline,
ALWAYS
got what he wanted.
Charles Persistent T Cat
being his full name.

As time passed on, and my aunt’s time on earth was through,
 Charlie came to live with me on the farm.
Being a descendant in a long line of Tails full of mischievous and mayhem,
Chuck as he became known,
did not disappoint.

Paws appeared, on tables’ edge, while the rest of Chuck remained hidden,
hope high on his list, of finding a stray morsel,
or by chance a full plate.

Now on the farm,
I no longer fed King Chuck from my hand.
King being a term, he preferred me to use.

When my dad came to visit and I would enter my home
I could be greeted by Chuck and my dad,
sharing a donut or two.
My dad on his chair,
Chuck on the table.

On one such occasion as I entered my door,
these words came sputtering along with some donut from this golden boy’s mouth
"Your father knows how to treat a feline of my stature.
Do you?"
And as you may have guessed,
the King had been eating
from my dad’s hand.

When having no human to tend to his needs,
He bid the other cats to bring him their mice,
on occasion being rewarded for such a bold request.
After all, he was
"The King."

Bites into my legs became frequent at meal times
when I failed to present in his dish,
what was also being served on my plate.

When forced to eat with the rest of the kitties,
closed eyes on this tail they would see,
as he slow and steady walked forward,
aiming for the dish of his choice.
All the while ignoring, feline slaps on his head.
Reaching his destination, and of course, making do,
For need had arisen to partake
in a mere cats diet too.
After all he could be,
to his own admission,
a humble
King.

And as all good Kings should live,
Pepperoni was occasionally offered as an appetizer on his menu.

In the years we spent together
We worked out much of what we could not see eye to eye on.
I giving him a bit of all that I ate, but only on his own plate,
he in turn refraining from sinking his teeth into my leg.

A Cat among cats was a part of his humble notion.
On the rare occasion he ventured to the barn
to retrieve his own catch,
when no other cat to do his bidding could be found,
he could be heard to utter
"Ah, isn’t fresh preferred?"
As if I should have been bringing them fresh to his plate.

All his antics and changing whims of the moment accomplished their goal,
Chuck had a home deep in my heart.

Our time together came to an end all too soon.
As I bid him adieu and he about to depart I heard his familiar voice whisper
" Do You Think God Has pepperoni?"

With tears in my eyes, and a smile in my heart I responded to this query
"Yes Chuck, God has pepperoni,
and I’m sure he will share".

Satisfied with the answer he then lay down and bid us goodbye.

Several years passed without the spark of this boy.
Now and then I would hear his request
" Can I come back yet?"
I always responding
" No Chuck, wait for an opening",
there being only so much room in our home.
Having said this to him on several occasions
I still had forgotten his calls.

The sad day came when another member of my feline friends did pass to heaven.
I in my grieving chose not to refill the vacancy so recently made.
But a certain mischievous feline had other plans.
And began to put all in its proper place.

I soon felt a yearning I couldn’t explain.
Day after day I missed my Cornelius who had passed into heaven.
He assured he would not be offended,
if the place he recently vacated be filled,

I should have suspected that a certain tail, had put his plan to return into motion, telling only my heart,
"Come as fast as you can, I’m waiting."

I heeded my heart’s message and went to retrieve a new kitten,
From the animal shelter one day.
Upon my arrival a certain Tail did stare.
I visited and I spoke with two other kittens.
Unaware I was nearer and nearer to a certain white and red kitten.

Unable to make a decision, I walked and I looked.
Out of the blue I pointed to the attentive
white and red kitten and said
"May I hold this one."

When in my arms
I heard from this boy
" Hello"
I then uttered
" I’ll take this one.."

Familiarity buzzed around me for two days,
when I again heard a small voice from this boy.
" You told me to wait for an opening".
My eyes filled with tears, as familiarity turned to knowing,
my Chuck was again here.

He froze his stare to my face,
and in typical Tail fashion purred loudly in place,
the knowing now gotten.

Eager to share, he wanted me to know
"There is pepperoni in heaven, and should be some here. "

Although he learned many new things in heaven,
we remind him of his manners
just in case he’s forgotten

Mischief and Mayhem
are sure to return
for this tail has been sure to tell me,
"Q is now here".

Short and to the point,
He says his new name suits him.
And although Chuck is out
The "King"
is still back,
and he has big plans.

Shaking my head
while saying
"OH NO!"
I am sure he is right

and

I wouldn't want it

any

other

way!

Copyrighted 2008