black with green eyes

i see the neighborhood cat,
black
with green eyes

crouching in the middle
of the street.

she's well aware of her life.
in and out

of sewers, the woods.
houses that let her in
to sip

from a cold bowl of milk.
selective
as to the kindness of strangers.

she's a gypsy with a hoarse
meow.

a wanderer. never held,
always just
out of reach.