February 19, 2026

trying to coax
the cat downstairs
to get her med
so she can go through life
sans digestive strain and pain
and yet
she’s a cat
and doesn’t understand
the cause and effect
[or even the daily proven math
of ‘you don’t get your breakfast
until we force this gross liquid
into your mouth’]
so she whines
and complains
and won’t let us catch her
[it’s a silly game of cat and mouse
when the cat is the mouse
and the humans take on
the feline part
but it’s all for good
we swear
we keep telling her
it’s all
for your own
good…]

[if only cats understood complex concepts and the english language
then maybe this daily morning process
wouldn’t be so much of a
hassle]

November 20, 2025

evening poems
while william shatner
tells me all the unexplained mysteries
i should care about

but i simply
don’t

~~~

big yawns
and split-up sleep
and hopefully getting
the cat to eat
or take her meds
at least

[almost done with this trip
and i’m so excited to sleep
in my own bed
once again]

~~~

but seeing people has been absolutely lovely —
i wouldn’t exchange that
for anything

[even eight uninterrupted hours]

November 18, 2025

what a nightmare
of a night
what with screaming cats
and whining puppies
and keeping us up all night
[especially when we were both so excited
to go to sleep so early
and sleep in just a bit]
but
but
but
however
i’d rather have these animals
and have them interrupt our sleeps
with their hassles
than not have them at all
and that’s the truth

[damn, love is crazy]

July 16, 2024

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.

September 16, 2021

normally, i don’t mind
the kind of worship-full relationship
we have with our animals,
our pets,
(nos animaux de compagnie),
but when it comes time
to pack and organize and box and move…
i do feel a tiny bit resentful
that half of the beings in this home,
that two of the four of us,
don’t contribute at all
(and, in fact, often make things a million times harder)