Daughter and I took care of these cats while we enjoyed several weeks at son’s cabin in the Berkshires. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they took care of us!
A delight!
Into the air they leap,
snatching frantically
at their bright pink plastic feather,
as though the fate of the cosmos
depended on their success;
or under the table they lurk,
their dark, sleek bodies a-tremble,
ready to pounce
on the tiniest of bugs,
a simple tuft of dust,
a tail, a ray of sun.
anything that might disturb
the order of their world;
they race, they pounce, they chase
whatever might be chaseable,
each other, if there’s nothing else,
so eager, so fully engaged
in all the joy of simply being alive.
*
A moment later, in the blinking of an eye.
they curl into balls of furry gray,
yawn and stretch their nimble limbs,
purr until they fall into a sleep
beyond profound,
dreaming away their yesterdays,
leaving tomorrow to tomorrow.
*
Other times, so wide awake, they sit transfixed,
little buddhas gazing into all that is,
embodying all a yoga instructor
once tried to teach my restlessness:
groundedness,
mindfulness,
full presence in each moment.
*
Sometimes I think I’d like to be a cat.
from the slow lane 