Jesus, please do something
about this green-eyed cat jealousy
who has parked herself in my house
purring discontent.
She seemed sweet enough on the doorstep
with her message of “poor you”.
Once in, she patted me with soft paws mewing,
“that’s not fair” and “you deserve better.”
She lapped up all the milk of human kindness
and then with quiet feet and dainty claws
she sniffed around distastefully
as if my life smelled of failure.
And then the unkindest scratch of all,
“If only you could be someone else.…”
And so this cat has got to go.
And I need your help
because she’s hard to catch,
and there’s something about nine lives…
I see her eyes looking at me from the corner
and I suddenly wonder,
“Why is it always me
having to put out the cat?”
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.