The Cat Who Transcends Time

Hardly a day goes by when we don’t look for Rudy,
our neighbor’s cat…sleek, black, and oh so smart,
as smart as Bella, their dog, perhaps more-so. 
Such is the consensus of us on this side
of the street.  The votes are cast, the
jury has returned, the judging over:
Rudy wins.

Rudy is a living metaphor for cats
from years gone by; for Maxwell,
who would climb screen doors,
knock over glasses full of
soda left on tables, if he
had the chance—for
Darryl, brown and
white, who knew
his name, (always
eager to respond,)
to Cuddles, an all-
white fur ball who would
sit and wait at the kitchen 
window for his humans to come
home…all these cats from the past
can be seen in the antics of Rudy. 

He is a kind of feline time machine;
we think so anyway, as he slinks
from the neighbor's brick porch
and sashays home when Don
comes back…Rudy takes
time and accentuates it
for our sake—it seems 
purposeful and proper.
Cat talent, so glad to
oblige us.  In fact, I
dare say as cats go,
Rudy remains timeless—he
strides in delightful aura, invoking
pleasant memory.  As someone
remarked last night:  Rudy
casts a long shadow
through time.

40 Lines
Writer’s Cramp Co-Winner
2-21-20