outside the vineyards

outside the vineyards
by Oswald James
that line the half volcano
surrounded by sea
there’s a cat stuck in a palm tree
I spot a ship with sails ablaze
fleeing an island full of gun nuts
and gaze upon the faded sunset
that no one else seems to notice
the village kids throw fish skins
into the palm tree
but the cat won’t come down
we rig a bucket,
drink wine,
and wait on the moon to bring the tide
every night for weeks
the cat just sits there
our last night
on the caldera
we bring back a squid
stuffed with flowers
down the black rocks
hugging the hills
and leave it in the driveway
the cat falls out of the tree
and lands it
all four paws
scurry to disappear
back into the dumpster
of our dreams