An all-accepting friend
—Photo by Lisa Sympson
A fluffy fellow in my lap
Continually purrs --
You may have heard him -- did you not
His purring joyful is --
He cares not if I'm rich or poor --
Or if I'm fat or slim --
Or if I’m tidy or unkempt --
Why can’t you be like him?
— Felicia Nimue Ackerman
This poem first appeared in The Emily Dickinson International Society Bulletin and is reprinted with permission.
“The Cat's Lunch ‘‘ (oil on canvas), by Marguerite Gérard (19th Century)