Lillian
by Dan Senn
I own a cat named Lillian.
And whenever
she encounters
a locked door
she strikes it
with her paw
until I come.
When I arrive
however
she disappears
and there is nothing
I can do
to persuade her
to come through.
I must set
the door ajar
and leave.
Several months ago
after reading
one of those
flower child books
I began some
thinking exercises.
The routine called
for counting breaths
over and over
for fifteen minutes.
Whenever my
mind wandered
I was to
redirect it
back
to the counting.
I endured
this exercise
for several days
when
to my surprise
Lillian appeared.
© 1986 Dan Senn