one sparrow

a slender cat,

bone thin and grey,

slips into the yard

through
the open gate.

she has green eyes,
delicate and soft,

but willing to put
death upon her plate.

cautiously she moves

forward,

her stealth learned

through the centuries,

bent low in the tall

grass, ready

to pounce
on the shallow bowl

where a single sparrow 

has come to bathe.