CALL ME BELOVED

I must be the bravest creature alive, to my cat,
given the way he watches me as I step out the door –
his eyes wide, struggling to comprehend
how I survive the unknown in the vague out there.

I think on this as I climb down the stairs, or
while I watch him on the windowsill, where he jumps
when people are outside or the garbage truck rumbles by.
I tell him the best that I can that it scares me too.