He steps, tail high,
down the concrete.
Fur and art pad ruffled in an icy breeze.
Stiffened, he crouches, eyes and ears alert.
Artist, pencil in motion
captures bird house and building;
eyes the stiffened cat.

I love
the cat
who eats
the birds
I love.

When I was young and pretty
I had a little kitty.
Now that I'm old and fat,
I find I've got a cat.

Hurling through the bedroom,
Shooting through the living room,
Booting in the potty box,
Scratching at the red chair,
Snatching at the curtain hem,
Mining in the potted plants,
Whining at the door.

Jigging on the car roof,
Digging in the rose bush,
Chomping on the neighbor's grass,
Romping in the tree tops,
Growling at the dachshund,
Howling at the door.

Picking at the toilet paper,
Kicking at the yarn ball,
Grubbing in the laundry basket,
Rubbing on my pants legs,
Fuzzing up at tree limb shadows,
Buzzing in my lap and
Curling up to sleep.

The cat's teeth scrape
the hard, rough texture
as whispers delicately
touch. His nose sniffs
its weathered surface.

Picnickers
spread bright cloths,
potato salad and hot dogs
on the table's surface.

They'll leave at dusk.
The cat will return
to sniff and
mark his spot once more.

My cat steps past on my qwerty board,
changing my "God" to "GodZ,"
leaving a gray hair between the A and S.

Most of the poems on this page are previously published. All others are copyright 1999. For permission to reprint, including on web sites, please contact us at juliehix@hotmail.com. Thank you.

Chimera Poetry Magazine for Children: "Delimma"
Light Year: "Fable"
Paws & Tales: "Kitten's Day," "Theological Dispute"