Trickitty Tracy

*A Poem for Jiang Xiaomao (Tracy)

I saw that cat sitting on the wall every morning
while I was carrying the crazy stone on my way to work

I broke down one day and threw it off my shoulder
I said hi to the cat and she greeted me with a Chesire grin

A trick? I thought, gaping
at the empty space which had been filled by a cat

"No, Trickitty"
A small voice broke into my ear

A trick-kitty?
Like an appiration, she was sitting on my right shoulder

"I'm Schrodinger's cat with ever-changing appearances
and an ever-lasting spirit"

What's your name? I asked
with my head turning to the right

But there was nothing, not even
a cat paw's mark left

A trickitty? I murmured
wondering whether it was me who'd been tricked

"No, Tracy" A small voice rose again
and climbed into my left ear

Tracy Cat? I turned my head to the left
trying to catch the source of the voice

A furry tail flashed in front of my eyes
before I could follow its trace

There she was, on the wall again stretching her legs and
arching her back as all cats do after a sweet nap

She squinted at me against the sun and
with a "Meow" she jumped off the wall

I looked down at the heavy stone, not knowing how to continue
the ever-lasting routine with an ever-changing heart