Stray

Stray

 

Strong, powerful, battle-weary

cat,

with scars cutting

its once-beautiful face,

stalks through bushes

into my backyard.

One ear bitten off,

she

(or is it he?)

limps around.

Somehow, not pathetic.

Somehow, beautiful sign

of how tough,

resilient

Life

can be.

She parades around

like she owns the place,

and I suppose she does,

in a way.

She tenses,

Pounces,

Small

SQUEAK!

pops back up

fresh-killed mouse

dangling from her maw.

I envy her-

no rules,

no boundaries

Only freedom.

I know not to go to her-

Experience

has made her suspicious

of all humans,

not just bad ones.

But I secretly long

to stroke matted fur,

to show her

she is loved,

no matter what

the rest of the world says.

She is a creature of

unrivaled majesty,

poetry

in motion.

I gather my courage,

my deepest love,

and start towards her,

but she,

a creature of the forest,

has returned to her home,

Just

as silently

as she

Came.