Around Unknown Ways

The cat got scared in by a dog,
An incident of a minute
On an October afternoon.

Once the cat was safely in, door
Shut by its owner behind it,
The owner returned to reading

About a writer who escaped,
But only just, the holocaust,
The syrup of the sunlight filled

The rooms again, and life went on.
How does it do that, anyway?
Most incidents close up over

Other, similar incidents.
Rarely does anything stand out.
The horrors get written about

Later. Much later is the best
Time for reading what’s been written.
Just now is the best time to watch

Anything such as a briefly
Frightened cat panting on the floor,
Having escaped the barking dog.

But there is no more cat just now.
Just a little bit of quiet
Around unknown ways things happen.