I had nine cat lives

I had nine cat lives
In the first, I was hopelessly in love with the little details:
reproductive cells in the exposed cross-sections of plants;
soap bubble striations
and the like
In the second, I traveled around the world (of course),
effecting extended stays in Laos, Norway,
and Peru
In the third, I sustained a long-term relationship
bruise upon bruise was applied by my lover in layers to skin & mind
In the fourth, my fur was singed by fires resulting from
the San Francisco earthquake of 1906
(from which I never quite recovered)
In the fifth, I ate sixteen mice throughout the course of a year
one of them got me infected with the pox
dirty little creatures
In the sixth, Yves Klein used my body on his canvas
he painted it a special blue and had me roll around
In the seventh, I did nothing but read passages from The Bible
and eat caramels
In the eighth, I went to school for ten years
and came out a doctor
regretting everything
In the ninth, I yawned, chased a bug, sharpened my claws,
and napped by a tire in the sun.