when the barn cat did have her six little kittens

sara chickering had takings of the baby kittens

away from their mamma.

what did you do with the little things?

i did ask sara chickering.

sara chickering said the kittens did go far away.

that is what they said about my mamma, too. she did go

far away on the train to heaven.

will the kittens come back? i did ask.

no, sara chickering said. the kittens won’t come back, esther.

if the kittens come back they will eat the birds.

if the birds are eaten they can’t catch the bugs.

then the bugs will come and kill my crop.

that’s why the kittens are gone.

i do like the little kittens. even when they are blind

and have no fur and move around like

pink baby tongues and smell like

warm rubber balls. i do like to watch them.

i did go along the railroad tracks to find where

sara chickering left the little kittens. i did think i could find them

before they had leavings on the train to heaven and

i could be their mamma and keep them in the woods

and make them eat only warm milk and biscuit.

but i could have no findings of the little kittens.