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The Night World’s Worth

ISSUE:  Fall 2019


The Cat Introduces Herself

Hello, good evening, I am the cat.
I like to roam at night.
I like it when the shadows get long,
I like the dimming light.

I like to prowl the garden then.
I hide among the flowers.
I see the stars wake one by one,
I feel the moon’s strange powers.

I like to watch the barn owls hunt.
They cry as they fly over.
I like to hear the crickets sing
a-hidden in the clover.

But I confess, I am a cat,
and so I’m always stalking—
looking for small creatures.
It distracts me when I’m talking.

Hello, good evening, I am the cat.
I like to roam at night.
But wait a minute—what was that?
Oh, that’s a mouse, all right!

Hello, good evening, I am the cat.
Excuse me, please, I’ll be right back…

 

Illustration by Carson Ellis

The Cat and the Mouse

The cat caught a mouse and held him there
beneath the light of the moon.
“I’ve got you!” she cried,
her mouth open wide.
“You’ll be my dinner soon.”

“I’m full of bones,” said the mouse to the cat,
“and fur that’s nasty to eat.
If dinner’s your goal,
you have some in your bowl
in your house that’s right up the street.”

There was a moment between them then,
a barely perceptible pause.
The cat locked eyes
with her new-caught prize
and loosened the grip of her claws.

“Do you like the night?” said the cat to the mouse.
Replied the mouse: “I love it!
So set me free
and marvel with me
at this world and the stars above it.”

The cat then smiled and set the mouse free.
The mouse replied with a bow.
“It was all in jest,” 
the cat confessed,
“I never eat mice anyhow.”

 

Illustration by Carson Ellis

A Stroll

Above this world is a glimmering light;
in its middle: a simmering vat.
The owl takes flight in the gloaming twilight 
and a-roaming abroad goes the cat.

The trees are ashen against the sky,
the stars burn hot and bright.
You say you love the day, but why?
The universe comes out at night.

The light is the moon, with glimmering rays.
The world where we live is our Earth.
The setting sun is the death of day,
but it’s also the night’s rebirth.

The cat loves the night; she’ll show you the way.
By the light of the moon, she stalks her prey.
But she’ll set that aside for tonight and today,
just to show you the night world’s worth.

Illustration by Carson Ellis

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