Blinds

I closed all the blinds
to keep out
the outside.

I felt safe
in my shadows
and sadness.

One day
momentarily weak
I missed the light.
So I opened
the blinds.

My cat, Charlie
leapt onto my record player
and sat, regal
absorbing the perfect rays of the sun.

My heart broke.
All this time
I had taken something he loved away from him.
His wet nose rubbed the glass
as birds
perched on fragile branches
chirped.

Now
I leave the blinds open. The shadows
remain; but
Charlie’s beatific gaze
and the blithe larks
make them a little less dark.