The sunset cues my entrance

Emerging from my alleyway

The predator comes out to prowl.

Black Cat Under a Night Sky

From a dream of resisting small hands

I come to my senses and shake it off

A nightmare in disguise

I walk through the streets

Weaving through a sea of legs

Most in my position would avoid these legs

But I’ve grown accustomed to them

Surrounded by them wherever I go

I realize how selfish they really are

As I stalk through the streets

I finally catch sight my next prey

I slowly creep towards it

Before I finally make the pounce

An older woman sitting at a table on the street corner cooed

I purr at her feet

She spares a shrimp

Surrendering what was now my dinner at her feet

One shrimp?

Just one?

I took the small crustacean anyway

Running away with it in my mouth

Then, as I headed back to my alleyway

I heard a small, shrill voice

A small hand flew at my head

A small hand belonging to a small girl

With long, braided black hair

not older than six

I hissed

Frightened, the child recoiled

Good

Stay away

She ran and hid behind her mother’s legs

Legs covered by a shimmering, slim black dress

One small eye peeking behind her shield

The tall, slender woman with short black hair

And a white pearl necklace

Holding a cigar

A gloved hand reached to pet the small child

And like that,

With a puff of the cigar,

The child was happy again

Humans really are selfish

Taking my leave from the puff of smoke,

I walk back to my alleyway

My home

In between two tightly wedged buildings

Yet the moon’s light bathed between them

I settle next to my trash can I slept by

The smell didn’t bother me anymore

As I was on the brink of falling back into my subconscious

I smelled a puff of smoke

Enter the mother

Her daughter standing just outside the alleyway, spectating

The woman knelt down

And outstretched her hand

I looked at it

She had removed her glove

It hurt

It hurt like the day I had made this alley my home

It hurt like when I had no more home to go to

It hurt when no small hand was there to pet me anymore

I slowly walked toward her

Almost like a moth to a lantern

Her hand brushed my head

The first hand since her hand

And as I looked up at her

With her other hand taking the cigar from her mouth

Through her bright red lipstick

I saw her face ease into a smile

Most humans are selfish

This one isn’t