April 25, 2023

the cat
has a compulsion
every time there is a lap
with a soft fuzzy blanket atop

she must
must
must
crawl upon the space
created perfectly for a curled up cat
kneed the knees and thighs
just a few times
then perch
lie
purr
sometimes sleep

laps themselves
are only about 50% inviting
she could take or leave
bare legs/
legs blanketed in jeans/
pajamas/
dresses/skirts/harem pants
but the minute
that soft polyester cover is draped
here comes the hasslecat
a magnetic pull
a need
a compulsion
a necessity
to lie
on a blanketed lap

and i love her for it

April 11, 2023

the puppy wants so desperately
to play with the cat
that she’s taken the hisses and bats
and invitations
and copied those acts

so now
the cat defends
and the dog reacts with enthusiasm
that the cat is not anticipating
and defends harder
which the dog takes to mean
playing harder
until she gets so excited
she spins
and zoomies
herself
away

March 20, 2023

the puppy playfully pleas
with the cat who can’t help but hiss back
and they paw at each other
and they stare and they struggle
and i hope one future day, they can be real friends

February 23, 2023

the cat is exploring
the downstairs
once more

the first time(s)
since the puppy arrived

she’s finally comfortable enough
to be in the same floor level
as the spastic young dog

but only because
the dog is
all crated up

what will happen with the puppy has free reign
of the downstairs
again?

February 18, 2023

the cat
has her zoomies
up and down the upstairs hall
back and forth
from bathroom to
under-the-bed

and we
(below the galloping stomps and stomping gallops)
ask

“is she having more zoomies than usual?”

“isn’t she a senior cat now?”

“is she maybe training to play with the puppy
once the puppy is all healed
and is allowed to play once more?”

i hope hope hope hope hope
the answer to that last question
is yes

January 30, 2023

when i write
i write at a table
but i don’t use the table
(except to hold my morning coffee)
i slide down in my chair
and lift my legs to the other across
and lay my laptop across my lap
cross one foot over the other
and write until my legs or butt falls asleep
or until my terrible posture hurts my back
or until my arms start to get sore
from low-key holding my laptop on my criss-crossed lap
and somehow this works for me
though i can’t help but imagine
a me
where i sit properly
feet fully reaching the floor
posture great
writing without pain sneaking its way in
and wonder if
i’d write
better
longer
if i sat like
a regular person

~~~

the cat gallops upstairs
chasing invisible ghosts
and singing the song of her kin
and at least she can amuse herself like this
for hours on end
while we break our evening’s fast with coffee and poetry and song
the cat’s harmony never quite fitting with whatever we play
but that’s why we love it (and her) so

~~~

i would like to write a letter to my grandmama some time today
because she constantly writes me lovely greetings
‘how are you’s’ and ‘here’s been my day’
and i love them so much.
and i’ve told her,
but i know the reciprocal is just as loved as the appreciation
and she literally said she wonders how we’re doing
so i suppose that’s what is on my agenda
(other than circus)
today

January 13, 2023

am i digging
writing
this morning

pressure
from me
to me
keeps playing

at least i have
a coffee nearby
and a bagel
soon to be in my belly
and a dog and a spouse and a cat in this house
all by my side
(emotionally at least)

don’t get caught up in the minutia
the tiny details
the what if these have all been said before
the before of writing
when you haven’t even put pen to paper
or finger to keyboard
when you worry what you have to say
isn’t good enough
or big enough
or beautiful enough
or you aren’t any of these things either
just write

January 1, 2023

you’d think the cat,
being feline,
would attack the yarn
as it lay
open season
atop the lap tops–
but no
it was the crochet hook
waiting next to the yarn ball
parallel to the open end
that this hassle decided
was the appropriate cat toy
for this evening.

oh, and now it’s the apple pencil…

but why, cat, why?