I admit—
this week
I hit my cat.

It’s wrong, I know that now.
Crucify me.

But did anyone ever teach me
that disobedience
is handled with patience?

In my house,
it was always the slap,
the belt,
the stick.

How do you not repeat the same
when it’s your turn?

I’m not just talking about the cat—
poor thing.

They say relationships
are a mirror.
You see even what you didn’t want to see.

My cat,
when beaten,
running away, then coming back,
showed me I’m a *****,
a ****,
and a human
who needs love.