Drinking from Puddles

Betsy Joseph

July 29, 2022

Shunning the recently replenished water bowl

beneath the kitchen window sill,

our sleek gray feline moves outdoors instead,

seeking an early Texas sun straining and gaining strength

as she drifts toward small sparkling patio pools

to drink from the puddles.

She raises her head slightly to look at me,

water droplets glistening on her white chin,

and lowers for one more drink.

Betsy Joseph lives in Dallas and has poems that have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry books published by Lamar University Literary Press: Only So Many Autumns (2019) and most recently, Relatively Speaking (2022), a collaborative collection with her brother, poet Chip Dameron. In addition, she and her husband, photographer Bruce Jordan, have produced two books, Benches and Lighthouses, which pair her haiku with his black and white photography.