A plumb line drops
(I know not where)
by which feral cats are judged
and marked ‘outside the bounds.’
I always saw their resistance to compassion
as a noble trait
along with their intemperate hisses
at attempts to conquest.
Feral, yes,
but less skulky than the shark
with its fin erect
and its teeth obscured.
Burnish me a reputation
that allows for feline wild-ness
and I will bare for all
my teeth
and ruffled fur
Then slink behind some barn
and breathe a curse upon your home
with all its domesticated litter boxes
and countermanded claws
–Alex Joyner
Heartlands 
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