Stray
Dark loner wanders as the sun goes down,
Dirty asphalt beneath his weathered feet.
Straying on, past the far edges of town,
There is no vacation on these mean streets.
Though winter is waning, bitter winds blow,
He shivers behind a ramshackle shed.
His fur coat matted by cold rain and snow
As visions of summer dance in his head.
Searching for solace, hungry and alone,
A life counted with every waking breath.
The black specter of fear gnaws at his bones,
Too many years he has eluded death.
Your journey is over, so close your eyes…
Fading deep into the nights of goodbye.
Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
March 12, 2021
A sonnet for all the stray cats that I would love to save…. 😥 ❤
Ecrits Blogophilia Week 53.13 Topic: Vacation
Hard Bonus (2 points): Include a Grateful Dead Lyric or Title (“Cold Rain and Snow” and “In the nights of goodbye”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Mention a Fur Coat
SECRET BONUS GUESSES:
- Snake in the grass
- Snakeskin
- Venomous reptile
- Mortal coil
- Hissy fit
- Viper
- Rattlesnake
- Slithering away…
- Leather for my snakeskin boots
- The sidewinder sleeps tonight
Topic: Craig Pic: Christopher
Inspired by the music:
Colleen Keller Breuning 
May you find your loving Human.
They are so beautiful and I long to scoop them up and comfort them! ❤ ❤
I love the kitties, too. It seems as if all of the critters like my city yard, even if they want nothing to do with the humans that live here.
Almost everywhere I’ve lived, it seems I end up caring for a feral cat. In Florida I had a little girl named Tobie who came to my door several times a day, but most of the feral cats in VA end up being barn cats and have a whole neighborhood full of field mice to hunt! ❤
I feel like I’m in really good company. Depending on where I am, it’s either strays who come get fresh food/water I set out, or, one who was recently put out will approach, and I rescue them. Every single cat I’ve had (14 of them) has been a rescue of some sort.
Those stray cats would love to be saved by you. 🙂
Everywhere we travel, whether it’s Florida or Italy, I always seem to encounter a stray or two who are curious but cautious. I’d love to save them!! ❤ 😀
So beautifully wtitten, and so profoundly sad. I wish I could adopt the all, too xo
It makes me sad when I see them out there…sometimes it’s all they know but I worry about them surviving. Moreso in the wild, because of the predators like hawks and coyotes. 😥 xoxo
Oh, wow. Excellent!
Thank you so much, Lisa! ❤
It would be great to be able to save them all. 8 points Earthling
It sure would!!! I marvel at the efforts of the foster moms & dads, especially with the TNR (Trap Neuter Release) programs they manage. Thanks for the points!
I hear you, I feel the same about dogs
My first one was a stray…I always hope they find their person. This was such a sad sad write. 😦
We got a rescue cat a few weeks ago.
It stayed inside the first night here.
Next day, we put it out back on the deck.
It ran off, into the forest behind the house.
Poe (we named it Poe), never returned.
Great poem, Colleen! So much despair.