During this mornings climb
Up the hill behind the cabin
Gently walking on a blanket of moss
across the forest floor
Softly caressing the soles of my feet.
New growth sprouting up through the moss
Orchids, Oregon grapes, lupine, and fiddlehead ferns
Rocks and trees wearing
Robes of yellow, green, and light grey lichens.
The water clinging to their tender leaves.
Boughs of the cedar, douglas fir, maple, and mountain ash
Droplets sounding
A song as they kiss the earth.
In the limbs of the trees dance the
Robins, blue jays, chickadees and sparrows
With beautiful resound
The forest greets the morning sun .
The air feels fresh clean
On the breath, in and out
As Coco and Habibie scurry to and fro
up the trail to the old wooden sauna.
It is so beautiful here.
Stroking soft fur,
Purring and purring
Sitting our own little slice of heaven.

cat eye make up after a break up
on my bed she crawls
in my back her claws
I will pet your *****-cat
where to find me at?
between her hidden fur
who said only kittens purr?

My cat WOKE:
Petra Electra Perpetua.

I’m telling y’all, she massive woke;
lit, like wicked wick holy smoke.

She outsmart Christopher ******* dreamin’
teach a dog where a BONE at,
discern every demon,
(not to mention advanced forensics.)

She rise, she yawn, she stretch, she flex
then start cashin’ every other pet paychecks.

She charge per minute just to LOOK at her fur
while she sharpen her nails. My Petra purr . . .

Dogs be all: WOOF
She don’t even answer.
Scribe rhymed Arabic lyrics
while she beat a belly dancer
with her TAIL, pfffffft. . .

My girl don’t tag, she SPRAY.
Mark every wall, y’all . . .
Seen all over the hood, gnome sain?

Offer her Sheba, she like:
Won’t touch it. Give me that Meow Mix.

My girl teach Afrikan lioness about *****;
*** on a paean, droppin’ lyrics like mice
other feline get fussy
my kitty get NICE.

TikTok your Instagram feed
right into her bowl.

My girl so woke,
save her own fanged soul.

Slip out the house—she gone.
Workin’ secret route to EGYPT.
Roast every priestess in Bastet city;

My kitty taught CLEOPATRA (u feel me?)
about *****.

She scratch Catwoman, pounce on Robin
Batman wet his weak-*** mask, sobbin’.

My girl woke;
so woke she don’t nap, she sleep—

profoundly. Soundly. DEEP.

I

When I scan the hallways of my remembrance,

I see the quiet existence of a shy five-year-old.

She is sitting under an old rusty swing in her school courtyard.

Her pockets filled with autumn leaves because she is sad over how no one ever picks them up... unless it is for crushing.

The last guy who sat on the swing split his head open.

Lesson on mortality
"I'll remember"

II

After feeding a stray cat for a whole month,
I stopped after someone said she loved me because of the food.

A testament to our unconditional love.

When she showed up the next day, she scratched my face and left.

"But I deserve love more than she deserves to eat" I thought.

Lesson on love.

"I'll never learn."