17 Years of Life

The morning sun shining brightly over the orange grove The sun warming the plants and animals, signaling the start of yet another day Dust coming up in clouds as the tractor meanders through the trees Sounds of air traffic cutting the morning stillness Birds swoop through the yard, sun glistening over their black feathers like polished leather For one family, it isn't just an ordinary day Why must this day be filled with so much sadness When everything around it is beautiful with the fruit of life Living, thriving, breathing animals And yet it's one animal's time to leave An old cat, weary with her own weight Barely able to stand and walk without faltering steps It's her time to pass, no matter how much we try to deny it Keeping her with us only worsens her suffering It's painful to see how fragile and lifeless she is When her friskiness seems just barely gone Gone are her days of taunting the dog and frisking about The house is quiet, with only the sounds of the dogs and typing breaking the silence In the den the silence is for the need to work But in the young teenager's room, the silence comes from a lack of everything Happiness, sorrow, remorse, mourning, anger, pain All these are mixed in a tight little ball inside this teenager She doesn't know what to feel Doesn't know if she even should feel right now She's so confused with why she doesn't feel She has no time to feel anything else Feelings are almost meaningless to her now From an onlooker's point of view, she might look sad But from her side she's feeling lost, remorse, angry She knows that when the time comes her feelings will come rushing out all at once, Like flood gates allowed to swing wide But for the moment she's left with nothing Well, at least nothing she can understand