The Alley

The black cat creeps through the alley in the dead of night Careful not to wake the man slouched over, hiding under his wide-brimmed hat, one hand tightly wound around the bottle disguised by a paper bag She gently licks the drops around the mouth of the glass flask and tiptoes back, leaving no trace of her presence The sweet smelling incense behind the chain link fence entices her The curandera smiles down at her while playing the tambourine and chanting at the full moon The night sings its song and the cat listens, the bass coming from the small house with four walls, vibrating underneath her paws She stops to lick them and scratch between her eyes Her eyes glisten like bright green marbles and meet the eyes of the girl pressed up against the shed with the Virgin Mary painted on it The boy stomps his foot, making the cat jump and scurry away The man walking with his daughter’s porcelain doll does not see her He has plans The cat sees all She pounces on the little red ball surrounded by garbage, quickly passing it from one paw to the next She flips it upside down and holds it steady with all fours, playfully biting the rubber She owns the alley and the night Few make it to see the light of day, the vagabonds and cat’s surroundings constantly changing Her lithe shadow pays tribute to the same The black cat creeps through the alley in the dead of night