4: 00 A.M. Poem by RIC BASTASA

a little cat
is crying in the rain
in the middle of the road
not far from where
i am seated

this cat is thrown
away by its mother
because it has
no milk to
feed it

and its mother is
thrown away by
the owner
because
there is no more
food in the kitchen
to feed
it

there is no more
free meal to speak of
these days

and feeding cats
is not an
exception to this new rule

meanwhile the rain
has become stronger
the typhoon has come
as predicted

i can hear the
little cat no more
tomorrow
perhaps the road
will be empty
and clean