![\"a](\"http:\/\/jenniferokelly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_7650.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI recall a childhood memory of Mr. Dooley,
\nour family protector,
\na spirit animal of German Shepherd – Collie decent
\nalways with us, watchful, in the yard.<\/p>\n
It is summer.<\/p>\n
Mr. Dooley, ever vigilant, resting in the shade,
\nbrother in the sandbox, nation building.
\nUpside down, I rest in the tree above them.
\nenter:
\na particular neighborhood cat<\/p>\n
this cat
\ntaunted us daily,
\npacing and calling out from the fence top.
\nnameless, testing, marking, rattling its tail<\/p>\n
several days passed in this way\u2026<\/p>\n
It was hot.
\nTexas Hot.<\/p>\n
The particular cat sauntering along the fence line
\nmeasuring;
\nmarking the boundary.
\nMounting the fence,
\nwalking the usual path
\ncalling out..<\/p>\n
On the eighth day,
\nMr. Dooley rose stretching his body\u2026
\nhe walked to the fence
\nand
\nIn a singular, elegant gesture cleared the top
\ngrabbing the cat by the head as he passed
\none smooth motion of his head upon landing,
\ncat neck breaking,
\nhead releasing;
\ncat body suspended weightless in backward rotation<\/p>\n
and Mr. Dooley\u2026<\/p>\n
bouncing back up
\nover the fence<\/p>\n
to lay down in the shade of his favorite tree
\never watchful
\nas if
\nnothing
\nhappened.<\/p>\n
and that
\nis how I remember the zen duet with a particular cat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aggro Zen, a short story of pre-visualization. Aggro- According to the Urban Dictionary this is a term that has been used for decades by surfers and other water-headed types to describe someone who is overly and unnecessarily aggressive, competitive, or asinine whilst in the water. Prolonged exposure to the aggro can ruin even the best … Continue reading Aggro Zen<\/span>