One of my favorite poems that I've written is titled "Intermixing Coffee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day." This poem references the need to mix together different coffee mugs. The reality is that I have multiple kinds of cats and other decorations on my different coffee mugs. I also often mix them up, so the ones in the back are moved forward. As you can see from the picture in this posting, the mugs are black, white, blue, etc. The cats also are quite different. Some of the mugs are old, some are young, some have cat images, some have flower pictures, etc. I love the variety and the different colors.

Here is my poem "Intermixing Coffee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day," which is on page 14 of Holidays Amaze:
 
       The cupboard’s back space had black coffee cups:
       on hooks the cups were all hanging sadly
       in spots like slaves with no chance of hookups
       to some freedom of shifting forward free.
 
       The cupboard’s front space had coffee cups white:
       on wooden ground were they all standing straight
       with no hooks to keep them in spots unbright;
       at times, they’d even roll from cupboard’s gate.
 
       “I love Martin Luther King Junior’s speech:
       ‘I Have a Dream.’ He would never have placed
       his coffee cups like this.” A hand did reach
       and make the black and white cups interlaced.
 
       Like people on buses, the cups became free
       to intermix and taste of each other’s coffee.
 

I actually rescued the Flamepoint Siamese cat in the first picture of this blog posting when he was only three months old. He was probably left at the rescue center because he liked to scratch everything. I trained him how to just scratch cat toys and a few pieces of old furniture by taping aluminum foil to the places where he wanted to scratch, but where I didn't want him to scratch.
He then became the cat featured in the poem “Political scratches from D.C.’s Dreaming Cat on National Cat Day (October 29)” of Amazing Holiday Paws. This poem shows the viewpoint of a dreaming cat that is homeless in Washington, D.C. The cat’s name is D.C. (Dreaming Cat). Here is stanza six of a forty-two stanza poem that tells a story about D.C. cat interacting with politicians and other people:
          The Dreaming Cat jumped up and ran too fast
          in front of reporters doing a newscast;
          the Cat scratched a statue to keep its claws strong;
          a reporter yelled, “That cat’s scratches are wrong!”
                                                                       (Petit 135)

While dreaming, D.C. Cat fought with a politician who stuffed him into his briefcase; this cat also scratched, rested in front of, climbed upon, and jumped around on top of multiple D.C. museums, such as the Smithsonian Castle.
D.C. cat, just like my own cat that was the inspiration for a poem, likes to talk and connect to others. If D.C. Cat is listed on ballots this year, I wonder how many people would actually vote for him. :-)

​Here's one of my most helpful and sweetest cats. He's a Flamepoint Siamese and very loving. I sometimes call him "Honey" because of his sweetness and color. A couple of days ago, while I was setting up my laptop for a conference at work, he kept bumping his head against me and my computer. Some people might think such interruptions are distracting, but I find them helpful. Especially during hard times, his actions help me to smile a lot. :-)
I rescued all three of my cats from rescue centers. The cat in this picture was about a year and a half old when he was rescued by Target employees and brought to the Taunton Animal Rescue. A few weeks later, he was all mine for only $200. :-)
I still find it tough to believe that such a loving, sweet cat did not have a home. Because he's so smart, I've often wondered if he escaped, rather than being dropped off somewhere.