A Leopard Hanging in a Tree

A leopard hanging in a tree:
Impossible this time of year.
The tree's a maple! But looking
At the silhouette in evening,

I see a leopard in the tree:
A black figure limned on the blue
Horizon, hanging like a snake,
Coughing in the leafy branches,

A leopard weeping for its prey
As the twilight subsides, subsides.
Listen: those are kids on scooters
And a neighborly radio.

Look: a wife's walking down the street.
The air's as sweet as buttercups.
I won't be going out for tea.
A leopard's hanging in the tree.

Copyright © 2003 Eric Rawson All rights reserved
from River Styx
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission