Cat and Mouse

It’s a game of cat and mouse.
You hide.
I seek.
You disappear,
and reappear again.
All while I am
one step

A magical illusion occurs.
I see a rabbit
lifted from a hat.
I fail to see where it goes.
I fail to see where it goes
when the magician releases the long ears.
When you stride off
I fail to see where you go.

I sigh with relief when I see your smile.
I think it is over
but off you go again.
The pattern repeats.
There is no end.
It is a game of perpetual motion
but I do not want to play anymore.
I am tired of chasing you
chasing dreams
chasing hopes for the future.

Rules keep changing to meet your needs.
Your hungry craving
to hide in the shadows
leaves me tip toeing
through muddy streets and
entering places I did not know
anyone could go.
I am scared you will
get lost and forget your way
out of the corner
that draws you
from the light.

I am afraid
that I will only fit
going in
and will not be able to wiggle
and slither
to the light of day.

It is exhausting.

I don’t want to play anymore.
You are so engrossed.

The game has taken on
a life of its own.


Dawn stretches her colors gracefully
behind an accumulation of grey cloud
rendering a rhythm
to start a new day

Breath of my sleeping husband
joins the diurnal pulse
his chest rising and falling
like gentle waves cresting

Percolating coffee
pfft, pfft, pffts
as it tries to contain
energy within the beans
struggling to maintain tempo
to find a perfect blend

Rain patters on the window
knocking for entry
to escape its own wetness
adding to pattern flow
already set in motion

Windshield wipers wiping
kind of like singing off key
their meter gasping disappointment
at the incessant downpour

The day’s cadence quickens
acquiring a staccato feel
stop and go cars
interrupting honks

The surge in percussion
throbs in my temples
requiring an end of the day sip of wine
a sunset beat slowing things down
to match dawn’s graceful rhythm