The Visitors Who Took Over

Some house-guests (like these)
are hard to get rid of.
They move in, just for a few days
which become a couple of weeks,
and next thing you know....

He was handsome
and seemed such a charmer:
always so friendly
and so obliging.
She —

truth to tell, she was always
more of a problem. So ill
soon after she first arrived
with that dreadful tick bite.
Well, we’d hardly turn her away.

And she grew on us.
Tough little soul, but
affectionate in her way
underneath the loudly-voiced
opinions and shameless greed.

Yes, we got stuck with them.
In the end, we didn’t
have the heart. They were
destitute; where could they go?
They’ll be company, we told each other.

We’ve seen the worst of them
by now — like the raucous fights.
Domestic violence in which
she gives as good as she gets.
Though it’s always him that attacks.

Then it all calms down
and they’re all over each other again.
They keep us entertained
with their antics, I will say that.
And they in turn tolerate us.

We’re getting on a bit now
and they try to boss us around.
But we couldn’t do without them, after
twelve years, can you believe?
When they came, they were just kittens.