nacho the cat not the food

decided to head outside

just before a huge rainstorm

and chose to

 stay outside

not his usual response

to iffy weather

when he’d come inside

to stay warm and dry and safe

watching from the window

but not today

he opted for

living life on the edge

 when i called him

there was

no familiar meow

 finally

i had to go to bed

 i left my window open

to listen for his cry

 with every downpour

i worried about him more

like a teenager

breaking curfew

a bit mad and a bit worried 

at the same time

 on this hot night

no magical white noise fan for me

to better hear him

couldn’t sleep

when i thought of all of

the possible scenarios

 had a dry towel waiting

kept tossing and turning

finally at the bewitching hour

of 3am

i heard his tiny meow

ran downstairs

 opened the door

only to see him standing there

dry and warm and fluffy

 he strolled in

like nothing unusual had happened

and looked at me

as if to say

“what?”

went to his bowl

 scarfed down his food

we both laid down

went to sleep

i didn’t ask any questions

and he didn’t explain

we have a mutual

‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy

between us.

—

happiness is like a cat, If you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. but if you pay not attention to it and go about your business, you’ll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.
– william bennett