PenWomanShip

The striped cat arches its back
and topples the trash can.
Human eyes peer into the alley.
A brown tattered coat
trails on the pavement.
Both animal and human
rush forward like soldiers in combat.
The cat hisses a warning
to the approaching stranger.
Swaying, the vagrant
leans against the building
takes a swig of liquor
from the bottle,
and his body crumbles to the sidewalk.