Several weeks back
I noticed a black and white cat
in the florid brush
across the street.
Initially thought
to be an exploratory
house cat – most likely feral.
I snapped a photo of the cat
sitting on a railroad tie
between the tracks –
I yelled out,
“No, don’t do it!
You will find meaning –
I promise!” (There was
no train coming, and I
most certainly could not
make that promise –
it was just the funniest
don’t kill yourself thing
I could think to say
at the time).
Or (perhaps)
I personified the cat –
representing several recent
passively suicided
friends. A few days
later I saw the cat trudge
from the wooded area
behind the train tracks
through the brush
with a tiny black kitten
in tow. I have no idea
the dynamic of
their relationship,
but they seemed to be
friends. It made me smile.