I had 9 lives but 8 were taken away

9 Lives

I had 9 lives but 8 were taken away.

The first I lost beneath a speeding bus.
With years of balancing on the curb
one day I just  slipped off.
Maybe I used up my grace
or a push upon my back
helped to send me under.
In any case that life was done
I was run over.

But then reborn
I played my favorite role, the alley fool.
I dressed in matted coats
and stood on garbage cans with hope.
I believed the whispered words
until I saw the writing.
Even a fool can see the writing
and that is when I toppled off
and another life went down.

 A few more became a pudding
just a smoothie of the past
Sweetened by forgetfulness
I let myself repeat the parts,
and always there were lies.
Some I fabricated and some
were placed upon my back
then I became a pack-cat of deceit.
way too overburdened…
my feet went out from under me.

Right now I’m limping out from number eight
with injuries and strings of rats
but when I think I’ve lost it all
is when I have no fear.
Now looking back I see how
I did land upon my feet,
those clouds of judgment coming clear.
A loss of eight I wager and concede
to be well worth it in the final count
to get to live my 9th life out,
Ahh, bowls of cream and wisdom.
 
 
I had 9 lives but 8 were taken away

and it was over
over…it was over
over and over and over
not over ’til the last one’s over

Karima Hoisan
November 30th 2013
Costa Rica

*Footnote: I woke up one morning seeing this cat in my mind so clearly walking towards me saying, “I had nine lives but eight were taken away”….over and over and over:)

This image I used as an illustration is a composite of a painting entitled “9Lives” by Leslie Revels Andrews and can be found here in its original form at http://www.fineartamerica.com