ruby guard

I had a haiku hiccup out one evening this week. I was in bed writing in my journal, when the sensation of being watched felt strong. I looked up, and there Ruby sat on the chest of drawers, her green ruby eyes on me. She reminded me of a sentry on duty. My sister, a dog person, firmly believes animals are guardians sent to watch over us. Another cat came to mind, a willful, whining beauty named Sadie. She assumed my only role was her every whim, and I used to joke that in a past life she had been a temple cat and I had been the slave who failed in my duty to her, and so had to repeat that duty this life. I have a different sense of Ruby. Happy because the urge to haiku meowed, I scratched my pen across a white page playing with syllables and came up with this. Billy Collins need have no fear, but how I love this form of poetry. It’s like playing.