Sun-drenched and squinting,
he rises lazily after a mid-morning nap,
pauses and proceeds to stretch caramel paws
into the realm of awake.
A bush of tail sticks in the air
as he concaves his back and bares shiny carnivorous teeth
in a careless yawn.
Now he stands on all fours,
scrunching his pink nose,
arches his back-
the spine a perfect dome-
and shivers away sleep.
He takes a few calculated
steps,
looks back to his welcome mat bed,
then toward his blue food dish.
Bed, food, bed, food.
With dogged decisiveness
he heads toward the sanctuary of the mat,
his choice revealed,
and props his tiny head on his paws
like a sleepy Sphinx
waiting for the sun to lift is cover.