Grey Days, Cat Feet, and Small Steps Forward

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I haven’t written much poetry over the past couple of weeks. I also haven’t sent in any new submissions. There isn’t anything major wrong, I’m just in the grip of a series of heavy grey days.

Writing is hard when the fog sets in. Motivation slips. Words don’t come easily. I remind myself, though, that this will pass. It always does. Still, I hope it passes soon.

Even in the grey stretches, I keep looking toward the work ahead. One project I’m excited about is a 25th anniversary edition of my very first collection, Broken Images. I’ll be correcting some lingering typos, creating a new cover, and adding updated front and back matter. Revisiting that early work sparks a strange nostalgia. I can scarcely remember writing some of these poems, and I can see how my voice has changed and grown over the years.

Today’s spotlight poem is Cat Feet. It captures a quiet kind of moment, the kind that slips in unexpectedly and brings its own small peace.

Cat Feet

The soft bright morning

Is muddled

By dream interfering cat feet

My sheets stretch across me

As the kitty steps along my bed

I lay still

Waiting as he finds

A place that is warm and safe

He explores slowly and intently

Lying here for a second

Then moving on

Finally he finds current warmth

And temporary security

He stretches and coils himself

He closes his eyes

And I close mine

And we both sleep

Until the morning is finished

This poem is about simple companionship. It’s not grand or dramatic. It’s quiet, steady, present. The cat searches, settles, and sleeps, and in that rhythm, I find comfort too. Sometimes poetry doesn’t have to wrestle with the largest questions. Sometimes it simply names the small interruptions that change the shape of a morning.

For me, Cat Feet is a reminder that warmth, security, and rest can be found even on grey days.

—Donnie


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