About face

At four in the morning,

when all is quiet,

and those inside are abed,

out in the starless night

there lurks a small cat,

a gentle, affectionate, lass.

Then, with three-legged Fred

full hard on her heels,

she flees inside through the flap;

she quickly turns round,

confronts her old foe,

and lets fly  with a long, loud, howl.

I get out of my bed

and cautiously go

to see what's to do in the porch.

There, languid eyes look up

and she politely enquires,

"Now, what's wrong with you?"

          © Valerie Laura

          29 November 1997

Trust

Loans Procedure,

Complaints procedure,

Code of Ethics

and Mission Statement;

the law of meetings,

standing orders,

guidelines for trustees

and job descriptions for

chairperson, secretary and treasurer.

     On such is a trust built.

  

          © Valerie Laura

          15 June 1997

Interruption

Recumbent upon bare-branched clematis

drenched in late autumn sun

and draped over the tall wooden fence,

she lifts her head with disdain

to discern the source of annoyance

and disturbance interrupting

her ruminations on the likelihood

of attack from back or front

from three-legged tiger-striped tom

or long-haired ginger lady

and on her chances of ever catching

one of those pesky sky-flying birds

while also keeping in mind

the possibility of soon-appearing food.

     And they say cats are lazy!

          © Valerie Laura

          10 June 1997

Outing

After a day out -

     poking about

     the hills behind Akaroa,

     exploring an old Maori pa site,

     walking around cliffs

     a hundred feet high

     before plunging down

     to a bay full of young seals

     frolicking in coastal ponds,

     eating lunch

     perched on rocks

     just metres away,

     putting sun-block

     between shorts and puttees

     on lower limbs

     now exposed to

     cloud-free sun,

     then up and over the next hill

     and out onto Goat Point

     before heading off home -

          a pair of bright red knees.

© Valerie Laura

10 Feb 1997

Feet

Like a mountain stream in flood

comes the rush of feline feet,

tumbling over themselves

as over rocks and boulders,

chasing some elusive dream

in the form of an apple

fallen early from the tree

and brought inside to be batted about

around chairs and table legs

and under chests of drawers

until, at last, the energy spent,

both stream and feline seem calm

in the broad, shallow basin of

the plain and counterpane.

          © Valerie Laura

          12 February 1997