Our fever dreams have broken the quiet generosity of creation. Perhaps, if we listen very closely, we can hear the howl of the Eternal arching over the din of our modern lifestyle birthright, trying to awaken us to a vulnerability that we can no longer callously roll over and ignore.

Stephen Tilden is retired and living in Brooklyn with his door unlocked to the Eternal.

Editor: This story is a response to Michael Theroux’s Cats on the Back Deck.