231. only a cat
only another half hour
some greasy overalls shouted across at me
– funny, I thought –
he said the same an hour ago.
So I sat there on the wall outside
in the cold pale sunshine,
& lit a cigarette
and absentmindedly
sat there
kicking around
at the scrub & the grass & the cola cans
& my eyes settled on one of the saddest sights
I think I have ever seen –
a dead cat
just by my feet –
his ginger coat an invisible cloak
in the dead winter’s grass.
He lay there asleep
with no eyes
and for a moment I felt
that if I just reached down & touched him
he might jump up
& run away.