oh for gods’ 
sake, unicorns hog 
all the light
mystical 
animals get cast their way.
it’s the horn, of course.

as for strays
consider ferrets
goats, stoats, owls
cows, rhinos
any of these might with ease
slip away, astray.

but it’s cats
that fill in the blank
after stray.
it’s the way
they lick themselves, in full view
scornful of judgement.

still, a bat
a rat, a manatee
might overflow
at any time
the categorical squeeze
of cat after stray.

but special
will be unicorn
it’s the horn.
beyond that 
shine, swarms of unendangered
hidden beasts stray on.

Today, my first use of the Shadorma. I’m told nobody is sure of its provenance as a form; technically, it is a six-line verse using the syllable count 3/5/3/3/7/5, so this would be a linked shadorma, or a serial shadorma? I don’t know. Seems utterly random, without reference to root language and cultural context. I guess we don’t have to understand everything… still, not my favourite 30/30 challenge, between the strange form and the prompt ‘unicorns and stray cats’ which frankly, seems to call out for a pop ballad, something you’d hear from Difford and Tilbrook, wry and ironic with a sentimental core…