I want to be a cat, and not just any cat, of course: I want to be a cat owned by me. That would be a very good life.

Willy plays in the study. As I write, I hear a toy slide over the hard wood floor and tap against the wall. Willy talks, like any of us processing as we work or play. He reflects aloud on his activity, trilling, mewing and burbling.

I ask, 'What?" and he meows in response.

Yes, I want to be a cat.

Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.