STRAY POEMS

Curl up,

slumber king,

your hot weight

atop my breast,

holding my soul

from untimely departure.

Curl up,

your purr in my ear

and in my dream.

Curl up.

Don’t listen to that

other cat

in the kitchen

or heed the soft gray light.

It can’t yet be morning.

* * *

Cats live

in moments

of presence

bound together by the

continuity of

sleep.

Cats live

in moments

of prescience

bound together by the

creativity of

dream.

* * *

There is the cat

staring down my ego

with ice-green eyes.

She sees past my frail, humanity,

my ranting and resentments;

my hopes, dreams, and fears;

my constant self-seeking “I”

She blinks

those eyes of love and knowing

as if to tell me

all is well,

and that

she

is the center

of the universe.

* * *

Artwork: Watercolors by Endre Penovac

“Serbian artist Endre Penovác captures the aloofness, mystique and charm of fluffy cats in his black-and-white, watercolor and ink paintings. The artist, based in Topola, Serbia, uses this medium to create feathery fur, gleaming eyes and a sense of depth against off-white backgrounds.”