Catwatching

Sipping tea at a wayside stall,

I watch a cat sauntering by.

She regards me; I smile at her-

She pauses - lifts a paw -

She moves –

How graceful, how lithe, how feminine!

On her croups, she looks at me, blinks –

Twitches her ears – this way, that way.

She glances up at a crow, intent.

A man walks up –

The cat appraises.

At peace, she examines her left forepaw

And licks.

A fallen leaf stirs in the wind –

Cat looks at it, ears pointed.

A mongrel runs by – the Cat’s tail

Stiffens and then d-e-l-i-b-e-r-a-t-e-l-y

Twirls and flicks (it scares me).

She follows him, rapt eye-ed

As he goes out of sight.

The cat gazes at me.

She stares at me, unblinking -

Uncomfortable, I look elsewhere.

How she demands attention,

How swiftly does she ignore!

Kneeling, with love

I offer her a piece of cake, a bit sodden -

I never thought

A cat could express such disdain!

Oh well, you never liked cats, I thought,

Don’t try so hard to, now.

Sheepish, I realize

That the grudging admiration

I have for cats

For their attitude

For their sly, self-assured ways

Their aloofness, pooh-poohing

The rest of the world –

Is the same that I have

For certain women I know!

********* Balachandran V, Trivandrum 19-10-2010