A Blind Cat Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

We wandered down a narrow lane
My friends and I that day
Just having lunched in a small bar
That time had worn and frayed

The building was of ancient style
Wood, paint much chipped and worn
But this old restaurant hung on
Though silent and forlorn

I felt the decades rolling back
To times when things were slow
When people stopped and talked a bit
There was no rush to go

We laughed and chatted just as if
The world was fun and jest
For our lives were neatly boxed
Far from this squalor's nest

I stepped aside and saw a cat
A black one, sitting there
So still, so dark, so unconcerned
In midday dust and glare

When I approached, he did not move
He did not seem to care
If strangers stepped too close to him
Of dangers unaware

His eyes I could not see at all
When I approached this stray
Two little slits were in the place
Where cat eyes ought to lay

When I got home I became obsessed
His image reoccurred
Who hurt his eyes and silenced throat
From cat meows and purrs?

It's odd how what had been a day
Of fun with friends and glee
Became compassion's gift of sight
A blind cat made me see.