In the Snowy Evening

Vivid shades of gold and copper
glide across the silver ground
leaving dainty dimples in the snow.

Scanning the leaf-barren trees,
bright eyes focus
onto a pinpoint of movement.

Instincts surging wildly,
muscles tense.
It clambers upward.

Ears forward, eyes sharp,
fur bristling, tail twitching,
it pauses.

Hesitantly, it creeps forward
inching closer, step after step.
The oblivious quarry preens
within its hollow.

Leaving its grooming to look up,
the bird notices its stalker.
Frozen in sudden fear, it stares.

A chaotic flurry of feathers.
The startled prey takes flight,
knocking the still crawling hunter off balance.

Paws flailing
it tumbles downward.
Twisting, it lands ungracefully on its feet
and scampers into the distance.
Humiliated.

Poetess’ Notes:

Can you guess what animal this is about? I swear, for all the world it sounds like a cat.. but it’s not. It’s funny, because I’m pretty much obsessed with cats, and so when we got this assignment (to write a poem, hiding the identity of the animal subject) all my friends guessed ‘cat’ even before I pulled out my poem.... then in class, everyone guess all types of cats... and there was even a ‘polar bear’.. I have NO idea how they came up with that one, but anyways, it’s a SABLE!!! (it’s a type of marten, which is in the weasel family... I listened for all of them: marten, weasel, farret, ermine... everything, but nope. They just guessed cats.. and a polar bear.) Well, please review it for me. I’ll appreciate comments of any kind! If anyone has any questions, email me at dancing_

Other than that, that’s about it! So, until next time! ~ Kuri