melissaahowells - The Wonder Cat

Ghuey relished rolling
in the dirt.

It didn't matter if it was
bark dust
sand near the curb or
dust in the parking lot

he was going to claim it

Ghuey liked to play with moths

dance a pas de deux with them
leaping, tour jetes high into the air
only to accidentally land on their fragile bodies
to tear their wings

he couldn't understand that
he might end its fragile life...
something he found so
captivating and beautiful.

I know he never meant to
hurt anything...
the moth, a bird, a squirrel.
Usually he'd just stare.

After the moth,
he meowed loudly to himself
gazing around in profound amazement..
what happened to my little friend?

He'd tap the moth gently
and then look up at me
go back to the moth
and repeat this action
over and over again
until dejected at last
he'd hang his head,
scratch behind his ears and jaw
as if to say
what did I do
what happened
sometimes searching endlessly
long after the moth
had been taken away.

sweet boy
a gentle soul...
yet he stood his ground
when neighbor's dogs charged
and blipped him headlong
into the air

once Ghuey did a complete 360 turn mid-air
and landed facing the Rottweiler
sizing her up for battle and then
swiping her the entire length of her nose.

the wounded Rott
skedaddled, her cover blown,
yelping as she hurled headlong
across the street.

the Rot's owner admitted
"she deserved that."
and never said another word.
Her "Princess" had been a cat-chaser
all her life...Ghuey
was the first cat to stand up to her.

All I could do was laugh
and grin.
that cat
oh our cat...what a boy he is

and then he'd pad off to his favoreite spot
where he'd plop down unceremoniously
staring out at his world
from under the largest tree on the lot
measuring himself
and coming up self-satisfied.

yeah, Dog...just you
come see about me
and then he shnuffled,
snoozed
and snored
sonorously...

He'd earned his nap...
The Wonder Cat
indeed-indeed!

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MELISSA A. HOWELLS AND ALSO FOR THIS LEGALLY COPYRIGHTED AND REGISTERED SITE TITLE....
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