A long time since I had a cat, but........

An instance of Erik, the cat

This was written one winter night to capture a moment………

I was reading, deep in an armchair in front of the fire with Erik the cat ( a rescued stray kitten, a soot coloured Persian with a plume of a tail) and at the time about a three years old and fully grown to be beautiful, snoozing peacefully, sprawled warm across my arms and chest…….when for no apparent reason he awoke, turned his head to face me and…………………………..

“Beginning with a stretch, and ending with an all important exercise,

To ever so gently, almost imperceptibly, touch the tip of my nose,

without moving any other part than the stretching paw.

Warm soft paw, smelling ever so slightly of pads dried in timeless cosy glows.

Then Touched! in the sparkle of an instant…………

Just the tip of my nose

Just the finest whisker on that paw,

Hardly, if ever, touching

An eye shining instant

Of everything as one

Then curled again , head in chest

my smile and Eriks purring

the only echoes..”

I reached for the book, and read again,

With a happiness for two