Potted Cat

The cat curls tightly in

the pot where the heather died.

Her paw,

flipped back, reveals

the softness of a sole.

Beyond her head

hills peak

as sharply as her ears

while bobcats roam below

and a puma glides

along the heights.

Pressed hard against the clay,

the cat dreams eagle feathers

beat against her ear.

A bobcat, cornered, snarls.

The puma springs

on a loaded trap.

But the cat

drags eagles, thrashing,

into an ancient lair.

Copyright © 1986 Marian Jane Dickinson