Things are becoming strange in the time of plague. Animals are reclaiming the land. Signs and portents abound. This mountain lion is posing like a hieratic glyph in a possibly oceanfront backyard. Does it mean something? Is it the cover of next year's hottest magical realist novel?
I'm keeping the tweet open in a browser tab as a talisman. Help me, mountain lion. Tell me the message you seek to deliver. Bless us with your outstretched paw.
Edit: The formatting on this post got a little messed up. But let's think more about why this sign / portent is so evocative. The pose of the mountain lion, first of all. But also the looming empty space of the sky — the horizon spells doom. The alternating flat planes of grass and brick make the composition more graphic and striking. Finally there are the strange compositional choices of the vertical line of the doorframe and the disembodied arm of the chair. They suggest a human presence watching from a safe distance. The point of view of the protagonist, perhaps?
