Three Cat Images Poem by Bill Cushing

- kitten -
A tail twitches
from a skate
alone and
mottled with rust,
on its side
in a closet,
its worn, hard
rubber wheels face
out so that
every time
the kitten passes
they move, scraping
in protest
of memory.

- watch cat -
Mischief walks the night-
literally-
on cat feet that assert.
He keeps one eye
(his only one) on
the grounds.
Curving
around corners,
he
rubs
an arched
back
against the stucco wall.

- alley cat -
I lost George
twice: once
to old age
when I buried him whole,
and the second
to a boiler room
fan
when I buried him
in pieces.