REWARD

by Mather Schneider

A black beetle
staggers in circles
in the dirt
while a mother cat and her four kittens
crouch around it
not knowing or caring
how long the beetle slept
dreaming grub dreams
before emerging from the earth
a little miracle in armor.
One part we all share
is this brutal
and scared
and beyond morality.
The cats know
movement
small movement,
they know
soft guts and hunger.
The beetle’s reward:
to be alive for less
than an hour
and to never
give in.