A Mother Cat Keeping Her Kitten Safe

A Mother Cat Keeping Her Kitten Safe The ginger cat stands on the cracked concrete with its legs spread wide. A kitten is tucked underneath, safe between the front paws. Someone told the mother that the alley ends at a warm basement door three blocks down. It does not. The alley opens onto a highway. She has a blue plastic ring from a milk jug in her mouth. She carries it everywhere because she was told it is a key. She sets it down gently on the gravel beside the kitten’s head. Then she lowers her chin to rest on the top of the small orange skull.