Cats, Dogs, and Pizza
by Michael Doyle

There's a storm brewing between right and wrong
And where it is that we are best and truly belong
Moreso, we struggle to know ourselves in identity
And what furry and non-furry friends to keep as our family

People like us get lost in our minute hesitations
Puzzling over pizza on the obscure, unneeded questions
Questions like if a cat or dog is truly the better
And preferences for periods of change and weather

Does it make us better people to care for another?
Does it have to be human or maybe something other?
Pets remind us of our outward sense of obligation
They also bring us love in their undying affection

Lingering as I am over my second pizza slice
I meander in my words as to how it's something nice
And it doesn't really matter whether dog or cat
I have known people who are in love with alley rats

As Twain said, dogs are a gentleman's gentleman
And cats, they too, they do whatever they can
To look after us inferior creatures who are needy
Always needing more love and forever a bit greedy

Many find that simply watching cats makes them happy
It seems even when they find them sleepy and nappy
There is something about a kitten that removes pretense
And petting affectionate cats makes most less tense

Dogs are beacons of perceptible unconditional love
It is as if God sent down angels from Heaven above
True happiness is a warm puppy unrestrained by a leash
Each walk becomes a masterpiece of unrehearsed pastiche

Dogs own their sense of space, and cats own time
Each of these deserves their own sense of rhyme
Dogs only want to love and be loved; cats need worship
Each offers their own sense of familial relationship

There is no real doubt our pets are our family
We free ourselves in compassion for their beauty
The whole of nature is filled with thought and feeling
Only a blind man would not be sent headfirst reeling

With the simplest moments of outside observation
Love of our fellow animals is cause for celebration
Grateful and loyal, they set standards to live up to
That is if we dare too, in the loneliness of me and you

(c) September 14, 2024   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved