I Was Chasing Butterflies

I was chasing butterflies.
The sun was shining,
The birds were singing,
And I was full of the joys of spring.
Yes, I know cars are dangerous
But in my fun,
In my exuberance,
I briefly forgot.

You were on your way to a meeting.
An important meeting.
I know you saw me
Or, at least, felt me as your
Tyre hit me, squashed me.
I yelled out in indescribable pain.

No, it wasn’t your fault.
It all happened so quickly.
But you looked in your rear view mirror
And just carried on.
You left me to die.
Did I really deserve to die?

You could’ve turned around,
But you didn’t.
You just left me bleeding
By the side of the road,
Alone and terrified.

Is business so unforgiving,
That they won’t understand your being late?
Not just for a cat,
But for a family too?
A cat much loved
By little children,
A cat who brings so much comfort
To a woman who’s just lost her Dad?

If you had stopped,
At least you would’ve done your best.
I stress again. It wasn’t your fault.
I was just doing what cats do.
Had you stopped,
My family would’ve understood.
They would’ve thanked you
And not blamed you.
You’d have given me a fighting chance.

As it was, I was lucky.
Very lucky.
For a neighbour saw me
And rushed me to the local vet.
It was touch and go,
But eventually I pulled through.

Yet you’ll never know I made it,
For you screwed up
Your chance to be a hero.
Instead I will haunt your dreams.

© David Gibson, 2019