Bobcat Moon

She sits on the porch in a cool desert night A bobcat stalks prey in the day's fading light The moon looks like a big orange in the blue Evoking old memories she thought she outgrew Memories of nights of moutons and mums High stepping half-times and booming bass drums And homecoming dances that ended too soon Under West Texas stars and a big bobcat moon He sits on the beach in an evening gulf breeze An autumn vacation in the Florida keys The moon looks like a big orange in the blue And brings to his mind an old memory anew The reunion that gathered together that year Old friends and acquaintances scattered and near To tell stories of glories till late afternoon And share in the evening the big bobcat moon We sit by the lakeside past sunset one time The end of another communion sublime The moon looks like a big orange in the blue And summons a vision of friends we once knew She flies round the barrel with her long ponytail He yells and rings joy on the victory bell We loved them and all those who left us too soon We'll remember them well with the big bobcat moon ©January 10, 2013 For my high school reunion group. The bobcat is our school mascot. In Texas, girls often dressed up for the homecoming game and were given a chrysanthemum (mum) corsage by their date. In the late fifties an inexpensive "fur" coat made from straightened and dyed sheepskin called a "mouton" was often worn by girls wanting to look elegant.