Mia-owch

It was long past supper time  
pussy was still AWOL
and so because I hate waste,  
not for reasons of revenge
or to spite a track record  
of serial feline bigamy
I put my best paw forward
and gulped down her dinner myself

The verdict: a bit mushy,
hardly gourmet
but worth the price on the can
and those crunchy items  
did taste vaguely of  prawns  

That night I slept well,  
fishy breath and whiskers
curled up in a ball
twitching as I prowled through bushes,  
it felt more natural to purr than snore
as I dreamed of pouncing  
on my first mouse

Carefully climbing the tree in the yard
I eyed a sparrow on its perch
precariously wiggling my derriere
the way the best cat's do
all set for a giant spring
ready and waiting to test my claws

But then the alarm
shook me awake  
jangling louder  
than the puppy next door

So just how kitty does  
I stretched and then yawned
to find my head wedged  
tighter than a cork in the cat flap
with no sign of a whisker  
and not a paw in sight