The boy emerges onto the patio,
Stalling on the lumpy steps,
The sun-warmed pebbles spreading an inferno
Across his bare toes. 
A balmy wind kicks in,
Sighing through the budding trees,
Carrying along the spicy savor of the azaleas in its wake.
Neighbor Cat silently winds her way
Through a rotten board in the fence,
Entangling her fuzzy body in his legs,
Her long whiskers tickling his skin
As her wet nose prods his ankle. 
All is still as the corners of his mouth lift,
The screen door bumping respectfully against its hinges,
Allowing the wind to speak.
Like the gentle flow of the sea,
A new wave has come.
Neighbor Cat retreats back through the fence
And into the alley,
and the boy remains standing,
shadowed against the afternoon sun.