You can have peace or you can have freedom.

Don’t ever count on having both at once.

—Robert A. Heinlein

Cold dark morning, the stray cat outside

the door waits for food, which I place

inside, ever farther from the open door.

From a closed carrier the other cat watches,

hidden predator. It’s taken me three weeks

to decide to welcome this homeless feline.

Bright moonlight shines and shadows show.

What does she know of crates and traps?

She’d rather be cold than owned, chooses

to run free, not join my household.