Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 - 3:06 p.m.
The Battle for the Cedar Hedge
*******************************
I was sitting at my desk
earlier this morning
and i could hear cats screaming
from down the street.
It went on and on and on,
with escalating fury
so I stood up,
pulled on a T shirt
and went out to investigate.
A few houses down
I tracked the noise
behind a cedar hedge
and there was a big black cat
punching the crap out of
my red cat Taser
who was cornered
between an air conditioner
and a brick wall
- a bad position
as there was no escape
except by digestion
As soon as I appeared
the black cat ran off,
bristled furred out
and hissing defiance
at my much larger body
in this battle of largest body .
i showed up at the critical moment,
I had recognized my cats voice calling out in distress
mixed in with the sounds of
blocks away lawnmowers
and skill saws whining
on distant construction sites,
cicadas smoke alarm eeeeeeeeeeeeee
and passing vans of laughing children on their way to the lake for a swim.
Taser does not win many
of these titanic struggles
for dominance & was
absolutely delighted
I showed up unexpected
to rescue him from a fate
of humiliation and pain.
What it was all about
we will never know,
its none of my business
The dust settled
and the aura of safety resumed
in the torture chamber
behind the air conditioner
" Lets get some Breakfast Bruce Lee" Taser was suddenly
mans best friend
followed me back home
along the sunny street
limping slightly.
On my driveway
I whispered how proud I was
of him being both
a great warrior and
a graceful loser
As he flipped onto his back for a rub, I could see a big cut oh his head,
so fresh it wasn't hurting him yet.
A full happy full length body rub
and he was good to go
ready for a meal.
I gave him extra kibble
and watched him chow down
as if a near death experience
in the cat community was nothing
It was nothing.
Cats don't call 911,
their lawyers or the hospital.
They just get over it,
or they don't get over it.
We have plenty of
hydrogen peroxide
and tuna if he needs
these powerful healing agents.
After he ate his fill
he went back outside
to carry on with his day on paradise. The limp seems to have healed itself with just one driveway massage.
As the sustained
decelerating whine
of a US transport jet overhead
returning home
to its base across the river,
I see that all is well
in our happy home once more.
Live to fight another day
or fight to live another day
whatever works for yoooooooooooooo
say the all the summer cicadas
