For Miso

I watched you grow,
Like a flower opening
To a kinder season.

I watched the fear leave your eyes,
Little by little,
When home had once been
A place that never felt certain.

I fell in love with you,
A small cat
With a quiet soul,
Who somehow carried
More of my heart than I ever meant to give.

I worried about every breath,
Every silence,
Every place your paws wandered.
Because loving you
Made the world feel fragile.

I watched your heart become brave,
Your body soften into peace,
And your trust bloom
Like sunlight after rain.

Now I cry,
Though no one hears.
I carry my fear in silence,
Terrified of the day
You may no longer be here.

Because if you leave,
You will take a piece of me with you.

I watched you grow
More than anyone but your mother.
I was there
For the quiet miracles,
The sleepy afternoons,
The gentle purrs,
The slow blinks that said,
"I know I'm safe."

And when my own heart
Was too heavy to hold,
You never asked for words.
You simply stayed.

One day,
Time will ask me to let you go.

But it will never ask me
To stop loving you.

Because somewhere inside me,
There will always be a little cat named Miso,
Curled beside the broken parts of my heart,
Making them feel like home.