2013 30 Day Image Prompt Contest Book

"Small Victory" (Poetry/Day 5 Entry)

Small Victory

Whiskers twitching, eyes intense, all her senses linked.
Silent as a shadow, she’s guided by instinct
as she seeks out her next meal, tasting every breath.
She moves, then darts, then pauses, alert for sudden death.

There, within the pantry, lies a bit of corn.
She eyes it very cautiously, feeling a bit torn
about the open area and how she’d be exposed.
Her needs drive her forward; her intuition is opposed.

A shadow darkens sunlight. She freezes in the glow.
She’s lucky. It’s a windblown leaf just passing by the window.
She quickly grabs the morsel and pulls it out of sight.
She’ll fill her pouches promptly. She will eat tonight.

An outlined form, a scent, a sound, guide her toward her nest
as she threads her way toward safety and a place to rest.
Tightly coiled, dark eyes track her scampering retreat.
Whiskers twitch, a growl escapes, no need to be discrete.

A blur of movement as he strikes, the cat moves like an arrow
but something has forewarned the mouse and the miss is narrow.
The need for stealth is past and her reaction quite dramatic
as adrenaline kicks in and her response is automatic.

In a space behind a wall, she’s greeted by a twitter.
She moves and curls protectively around her tiny litter.
It’s a drama, overlooked, which plays out in her arrival.
She celebrates a small victory through the act of survival.

Day 5 – "Invalid Item" 
Prompt: Image 2

Quatrains: Rhyme scheme: a/a/b/b