The Ginger Cat Again

(Published in Rogue Scholars.com, June 2007)

This morning
the ginger cat
with white paws and face
almost fourteen years old
jumped from the top of the refrigerator
to a far cabinet and back
I photographed him in mid-leap
a streak of orange with a tail
was captured by the camera

But now I suspect he's dead
one hundred percent dead
except he's breathing
when I check to see
how far along he is
in the process of dying
he bites me

This cat has developed a relaxation strategy
akin to an art form, worthy of patent,
so that meditation masters may learn from him;
when he next wakes up, a few hours from now,
or perhaps tomorrow,
I'll suggest he write an autobiography

© 6.2007 Helen Bar-Lev