the black and white cat

how do you kill
a cat
who loves you,
who sits
by the window all
day and waits
for you to come home.
who presses his
paws against
you in the morning
licking the side
of your nose.
how do kill a cat
who knows
you. whose head
rises
when the door opens,
the collar
jingling as he
runs, tail up
to shimmy his warm
body against
your cold legs.
how do you kill a
cat
who once was a kitten
twenty years
ago,
before he went
blind, before
he lost control
of his bladder, before
he cried all
night in pain.
how do you kill a cat
who is older
than your children,
and sits now in your lap,
shivering
half asleep.
how?