I know I'm still behind on the challenge, but hopefully I'll have time to do 2 tomorrow and catch up. I think a few lines need some tweaking, but here it is!
12. "To the Kitty in the Window"
It does not matter how you crouch
or flip your tail
Your silent stalking
nor your secret damning of the glass
nor even your turning to me with those space saucer eyes
and mewing
please
None of this will make those fat, plump, purple-gray pigeons
swoop down from the roof of the neighboring building
and ask you to swat and eat them
And FYI
that little chittering noise you make
that starts in the back of your throat
that sounds like a clicking tongue
an anxious and desperate and horrible impersonation
will not fool those admittedly nit-witted birds
into thinking you are one of them
It doesn't work on bugs or laser dots nor reflections on the wall
and yet you persist
every time you see one
your shoulders hunched
your bottom jaw jittering
Why not just climb down from your birdless perch
and snuggle satisfactorily in my lap and dream
of more successful conquests?
The centipede you ate and threw up three times
or the spider that didn't stand a chance
you swallowed him, but forgot that part
and searched for him so long
Or how about those pesky milk-cap bands
that you masterfully prison within the bathtub?
And you scare those round salt and pepper shakers so much
for days they even hide from me
I found one cowering under the bookshelf
just yesterday
And though that little red laser light
always seems to evade you
You can take comfort in the rousing chase
It wouldn't be such a Houdini if it didn't fear you
With such battles awaiting you inside
there hardly seems any purpose
in prolonging the purr-making satisfaction
of victory
by perching on the windowsill
shamelessly posing
as a pigeon
12. "To the Kitty in the Window"
It does not matter how you crouch
or flip your tail
Your silent stalking
nor your secret damning of the glass
nor even your turning to me with those space saucer eyes
and mewing
please
None of this will make those fat, plump, purple-gray pigeons
swoop down from the roof of the neighboring building
and ask you to swat and eat them
And FYI
that little chittering noise you make
that starts in the back of your throat
that sounds like a clicking tongue
an anxious and desperate and horrible impersonation
will not fool those admittedly nit-witted birds
into thinking you are one of them
It doesn't work on bugs or laser dots nor reflections on the wall
and yet you persist
every time you see one
your shoulders hunched
your bottom jaw jittering
Why not just climb down from your birdless perch
and snuggle satisfactorily in my lap and dream
of more successful conquests?
The centipede you ate and threw up three times
or the spider that didn't stand a chance
you swallowed him, but forgot that part
and searched for him so long
Or how about those pesky milk-cap bands
that you masterfully prison within the bathtub?
And you scare those round salt and pepper shakers so much
for days they even hide from me
I found one cowering under the bookshelf
just yesterday
And though that little red laser light
always seems to evade you
You can take comfort in the rousing chase
It wouldn't be such a Houdini if it didn't fear you
With such battles awaiting you inside
there hardly seems any purpose
in prolonging the purr-making satisfaction
of victory
by perching on the windowsill
shamelessly posing
as a pigeon
I love this poem, especially this bit:
ReplyDelete"And you scare those round salt and pepper shakers so much / for days they even hide from me / I found one cowering under the bookshelf / just yesterday"
I love that your working on one poem a day--I'll have to join you and see if I can round out the month with a poem a day. CCBC's on spring break now, so it might actually be possible. I might even manage to make up some of the days I've missed!
Hooray for celebrating poetry!
Yay! That's exciting. I keep trying to encourage people to join me, but while they seem to think it is neat that I'm doing it, they seem reluctant just so reluctant to join me.
ReplyDeleteIt's been an interesting process (one I plan to recap closer to the end of the month) and kind of neat. I'm coming up with things I never would have if I hadn't started, and while many I think need at the very least small revisions, I'm coming up with ones I like as well (This is one of them.)
I told some of my students about your poetry contest. I don't know if they'll enter, but hopefully they will! :)