Cat Dreams II
“The lyre of Orpheus opens the door
to the underworld.” A. E. Hoffman, composer
A yin/yang of fur
on a lyre-backed chair,
conjuring foxy hunters,
liminal landscapes –
this portal to a lapis land,
unmapped and beckoning,
behind – or called forth?
Like smoke from hidden fires,
sigils and runes swirl –
the stillness is deceiving
as feline phantasies roil.
Lescaux, Altamira, Chauvet: sinews of sires
and dams charcoaled in night,
speaking in cat tongue, gathering strength.
Sisters, do your omens seep
into mine? Are you Bastet’s minions
protecting the One hearth, or
rapier-clawed stalkers, shredding
my pillowed hopes, chasing me
out into the snow?
Catherine McGuire is a writer and artist with a deep concern for our planet’s future. She has 4 decades of published poetry, 4 poetry chapbooks and a full-length poetry book, Elegy for the 21st Century, (FutureCycle Press). Find her at www.cathymcguire.com.
Barbara Black is one of the founding members of Blackfish Gallery in Portland, OR. Her media include painting, drawing, with some printmaking and sculpture. Her work has been exhibited widely in the Northwest and also in California, Chicago and the Czech Republic. She has also been a teacher at numerous colleges in Oregon.