August 9, 2023

the cat
lying
comfortably on my lap

the puppy
playing
exuberantly with her toys

something happens

some kind of loud noise

now both animals are scared,
the cat has yeeted herself from my body,
and that is why i’m bleeding.

June 28, 2023

the tiny tail wags
from a puppy who sees a cat
whom she hopes to befriend,
and the larger tail whips
from a cat who isn’t necessarily mad,
but definitely doesn’t want this friendship
as much
as the dog
wants it

and we poor humans
no tails to show our emotions
we must rely on (unreliable) facial expressions
and (unexpressive) english words.

poor
us.

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

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?

September 8, 2022

the puppy
and the cat
are not mortal enemies

they may, in fact
simply be
frenemies

(though,
perhaps
that’s all from the cat’s
perspective

the puppy
100% believes
they’re besties

or at least could/should be.)