The Old Woman and the Gray Cat

When the gray cat with matted fur arrives at the glass door, surfacing 
again out of winter's wide maw, the old woman with bad teeth  stops 
flipping burgers long enough to bring two pieces of half-stale bacon. 
She does not lecture the cat on politics or theology or the trouble 
with stray cats in today's world. "There you are," she says, placing the 
pieces of bacon on the cold cement, then returns to her work. 
The gray cat with matted fur eats every crumb, then wanders off into 
the weeds around the side of the building, disappearing into the gray 
beyond the railroad tracks. 
 
 

Copyright 2001,  Jay Udall 



Jay Udall teaches English and creative writing at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon.  His poems and short stories have appeared in many publications, including South Dakota Review, Potpourri, Georgetown Review, Wind, and Potomac Review. Bellowing Ark Press published his first book of poetry, Learning the Language


 
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