A Hunter and His Prey

Each day, the hunter slips through the cat door to find himself a snack.

The critter de jour chased, tossed in the air, and tormented in play

Unable to fight back.

He throws his voice like a ventriloquist

While he carries the prey in his mouth,

The door is not barrier to announcing his conquest.

First presented as a gift—then consumed.

A heart, liver, tail, claw, or whisker, is the final offering.

And then a nap resumed

One day, Simon selected a gecko for his snack.

Instead of scampering away to avoid the cat,

The lizard decided to stare Simon back.

The cat/lizard standoff caught my attention,

In the blink of an eye, Simon’s claw was ejected.

He swiped up the gecko in a single swoop,

And swallowed it whole without any pretension.

I heard a faint cry as it went down his throat.

The tail had detached and dropped on the floor.

He turned and ignored it—no need to gloat.