stalking her prey
a weaponless paw emerges
from beneath the dust ruffle
to berate a passing foot
with puff-ball assault

when the initial attack is unsatisfactory,
the whole beast lunges
to spin a mad ballet around the leg
of her owner
       a bite to his Achilles’ heel yields
satisfactory results: a kick
sends her screaming

purring in the corner, jack-o’-lantern happy,
the lycanthrope, devil-kitty
that just the night before
lay docile at the same feet