I've Given Peace a Chance

The vast interiors of
my beloved cat's eyes,
yellow and green
the soundwaves of her
love song
and the primary softness
of her body
beget
time,
stilled to a superior
attachment to the little hours
where she adjusts
her gaze
with an unaccustomed
earth.

The chances of her surviving this world
are greater
on an everyday basis.
The holdovers
of rage and diffidence
are like indistinct clouds
that pass in the sky
before her wide eyes.

I had never known
such stillness
in my life.
I had never known
the comfort
and balance
of a creature
who lets
indivisible days
and the lazy
minutes after two o'clock
become like marmalade
spread out in an
open jar,
liable to be tasted
and profoundly savoured.

***

I've given peace a chance
without accusing myself
of being distanced from her.
She now guides me to sleep,
placing her paws on my chest
and breathing with me.

Because of her,
an unaccustomed earth
has finally begun to
share its mysteries
of comfort, rest
and acceptance
with me.