A coyote tore my neighbors cat
in half, the guts spread
on the lawn
I sigh and say a prayer for
the coyote
Mother nature,
forgive this coyote
because it doesn't know what it has done
It doesn't know how far
its intention was
from a place that could benefit others
It doesn't know
how much hurt it would cause
to those who are connected
It doesn't know
how it will impact others
in the future
It didn't know...
How I would have to hear my neighbor
calling for her cat.
Misty... misty... come home misty...
Where are you misty?
It didn't know...
That I would need to ask my neighbor
if the guts on my lawn
used to be her cat
That coyote didn't know...
That I would watch my neighbor weep
as I shoveled the hardened cat remains
into my wheel barrow
That beast didn't know...
That my neighbor and her parents
would be so sad they couldn't bury it
they had enough strength to utter fond memories
As I shoveled a hole
and buried misty
under a patch of their mulch
Mother, forgive that coyote
it didn't know what it was doing
https://unsplash.com/@zgalczynska
The majority of this story / poem is true.
I changed my neighbor's cat name.