at least our animals exist
i don’t know how much of the outside world
i could survive
knowing about,
if i didn’t have giant puppy dog eyes
and happy puppy tails
and gentle cat purrs
and quaint cat meows
and wonderful little animal cuddles
to come home to every day
[or even stay home with
when the world is too much]
[how in the world do folks without pets
(and with depression)
survive?]
once again i’m
writing in my bed while i
feel a little dread from
the world around me but
my cat is purring and
my dog is sighing and
my kip is working and
i suppose i’ll give tomorrow a go
the cat sneezes
once
twice
thrice
four times
five
my goodness!
is she alright?
the puppy
refuses
to eat her own food
but the cat
is very ready
to eat it all for her
and then both animals
will have tummy troubles
today
apparently
what i needed this morning
to feel a little more like
myself
was not writing
or poetry
or even coffee
it was a cat
purring as loudly as a geiger counter
on my lap
a dream
of mine
is to coax a cat inside —
any one of our outdoor cats
whom i feed daily
and try to get them used to me
by standing
and waving
and saying
“i love you”
every time they so much as glance at me
and yesterday
i did it!
[but now we have to deal with an un-neutered male cat
with potential fleas…
but at least i have a friend who works with felines like this
and can help with all the
meds
and fostering
and surgeries
10 out of 10 friendship]
too small, our silly costumes
for our cat and our dog
but i think that was all they had for the taco cat [dog]
but the shark, there were definitely other sizes
so i guess
let’s
run back to the pet store and pick up a large
for our comps chomps to chomp at for Halloween
blanket cat
blankets me with all of her
over my lap
dripping down my leg
covering all she can cover
in one tiny cat body
the opposite of loafing
she liquifies and spreads out
and blankets herself
over
me
~~~
blanket cat, also because
the minute you have a blanket on your lap
she cannot resist
the draw
of a comfy place to sit
~~~
poor little puppy ear
did nothing to the dog who was near
but something happened
and the bite landed
and now a little notch is part of our Comps’s visage
poor little puppy ear
poor little puppy
you don’t deserve this pain
or fear
or anything bad
but at least your cute scruffy ear is going to look
so adorable with a tiny notch on the side
[the one piece of solace
we have to hang on to]
sitting kips
perching cats
lazing puppies
lofi beats
typing fingers
purring felines
windy fans
buzzing electricity
and caffeined beverages
someday i’ll be able to stand up again
and do some more morning things
but for now, this cat is keeping me sitting
so i’ll continue writing
for as long as she needs
my lap
the cat, on her perch, on her throne of my lap
leers over the puppy, resting innocently on the ground
unperturbed by the feline creeping closer,
as she jumps to the ground, and the puppy
stays still as a statue, only her nose going,
the cat passes, and the puppy wishes
so hard that they could play
at least for a moment
at least for a day
at least for a lifetime
the puppy prays,
but the cat is only interested
in food and hassles
and annoying all other animals
in this house.
the puppy has no recourse, no resource to break into the cat’s heart
so she waits, calmly, for the next opportunity to start
it all over again.
