That It Is
Another summer storm.
My backyard lit with gray and green,
And the wind just enough
To scare you.
In the basement window,
An outline of an alleycat
In the alcove, seeking shelter.
He curls up as the backyard floods,
And I’m sure he shivers
As our own animals
Run underneath the bed to weather
The storm. But in a few minutes, the sky
Is blue again, but the rain still comes
(The devil beating his wife,
I think they call it)—and I see the cat’s outline ,
A nick in his ear. I watch him stretch
Shake off the dampness,
And saunter away, as if it is just a Sunday
In June, and that it is.
