The Ghost Cat

[Atehequa]

Her friends off to the campground store
Leaving Emily with a fire to be made
Short on beans they went for some more
Leaving Emily alone in this shadowy glade

Silently descending the dark wooded hill
Silently through the mist shrouded trees
Coming down at dusk to eat his fill
The scent of prey riding upon a breeze

She had never before been to this place
A cool breeze stirring her soft brown hair
Cool mountain air blushing her fair face
Not too far below the Ghost Cat’s lair

Tawny and pale grey with rosettes of black
Throat crushing jaws, slashing claws, amber eyes
Savagely snarling, sniffing a familiar track
An ancient man-eater stalks under darkening skies

No neighborly campers this early in the Spring
She smiled as her kindling leaped into flame
Pile on a log, an ice cold beer and a song to sing
High in the Appalachians, dark and untamed

Yellow glowing eyes in the shadows deep
So near above yet far beyond her good sight
So near enough for a swift deadly leap
Sure death stalking with the coming of night

No sign of young Emily when they returned
Her name they were frantically calling
The log didn’t catch, but the kindling burned
Of Emily they knew not what had terribly befallen

[saw]

twice while I was camping, once in the Skyline Drive, and once out west, as I was sitting around the campfire, I locked onto the eyes of a mountain lion, watching me from the woods. Each time I was paralyzed, not by fear, but by this unique opportunity we were sharing ( without incident).....an odd connection swept through me....and does to this day when I recall those times...sorry for the windbag response...I can relate to this poem..........thumbs up........

[Atehequa]

Thank you for your response.

I'm not at all surprised, saw as there have been reports of Panthers in the western part of the state and across the border in West Virginia. What an experience seeing one as you did.

There's no telling what roams those dark wooded hills and hollows.

[mnaz]

chilling poem-story.

that remains my biggest fear out there, even in the desert, where i do my camping... the big predator cat (mountain lion)...

[Steve Plonk]

Really enjoyed this piece... I saw a cougar cross the road on the Blue Ridge Parkway one time about five years ago. Glad I was inside the car!