It's Still Life

The Cat’s Afternoon Philosophy

The cat watches the Old Woman layer pickle on ham then cheese on a slice of bread,

“Think of a sunbeam as a door,” begins the cat,

“Step into it.
You are gold.
Warm.
You are exactly where you should be.

Then it moves.
The door closes.
You are you again,

slightly chilled,
slightly wronged.

This is not cruelty.
This is training.

The universe calls.
Notice it’s arrived.
Appreciate it.

Follow it across the rug
with devotion,
and dignity.”

The cat walks across the kitchen table and studies the sandwich,

“Because,” it continues, “a sunbeam is not gifted.
It is earned.
By our being there.
By being a creature
who knows
that warmth is fleeting.”

The cat stretches,
sniffs at the ham,
and licks a paw,

“Also, he adds, “if a human is sitting in it,
they are in your way.

That’s not philosophy.
That’s fact.”