so I wrote about all sorts of serious stuff, then encountered an advertisement with these cats who were presented with the stuff of perfect pleasure, then found myself writing about them and that, and then wrote of dogs as well for ecumenicity’s sake—enjoy (please)
cosmic cats
(dramatic dogs)
1
nice cats
noisy
cats
could be siblings
certainly assuaged by
special cat food
mom has used the last
for them
and they are happy
for the moment
thankfully
dad is at the store
getting more
good food
longer-happy cats
what more
could
pet parents want
2
cats
have a k
and comic sound
while
dogs
is softer
and adorable
both were wild once
and even
now
we should take
care
for impulse
becomes instinct
upon
how they’re treated
so
treat them like home
and they will live with you
and guard you
love you
in their trained
and wild
ways
3
there are allergies
also pills
and sprays
and shots
I was allergic
to my cat
which I found out
ten years into having her
so guess who stayed
she said I could
as well
we keep our pets
and they
keep us
and so the ordered
more chaotic
world
is kept a little better
for a while
longer
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(our pets, of course, include more kinds of creatures)
photo by Callum Shaw on Unsplash
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x
x
Any Day Now
x
Sigh,
It’s Friday, Lord
I exhale into the day
Sunlit
Upon the floor
A cat might be happy
There
x
I can’t
Keep the news
In my head
I know it’s hard
Sometimes
There’s something good
To help the day
We’re breathing through
And gently taking from
x
Our cats and dogs
Upon our floors
And all the strays
We made
An age ago
And should take in
As well
x
All the causes
Everything that moves us
And should bind us,
The catastrophes
We should see each other
Through,
Which make us ready for
A triumph
x
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Photo by Matheus Queiroz on Unsplash
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(x = space)
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Doggone Dog-Here Dog Days
x
Dog days
For dogs
Cat days are every day
To cats
Winter might have dog days
But the famous days are
Summer
When it’s late
And there are days of heat
And humidity
When dogs are famous for
Lying down,
Stretched out on boards
Of Southern porches
While the humans
Sip up lemonade
And talk
About the weather
x
n.b. for humans
x
Keep water close by
And bring them in from
The heat
When you go in
Keeping in mind
That they’re your friends
And mine
x
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Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash x
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On the Ecumenism of Species
x
Dogs and cats should share
Often, they do
They share heat when it’s cold
They can share toys
They can treat each other
As toys
Food is another matter
Their systems are different
So unless it’s An Incredible Journey
Situation,
They should eat apart
And eat apart
Be who each other is
They can rest together
Often, they do
And enjoy God’s-creature status
Both, together
All, together
Now
x
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Photo by Madalyn Cox on Unsplash
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Dog Days Days of Dogs
x
I imagine dog days
In August,
But it’s been so hazy
And it’s been hot
I think of dogs
Such as bloodhound
Dogs (whatever looming,
drooping species)
Owning dropped places on
Front porches,
The kind of porch that drapes
From end to end
Or side to side
x
And the dogs, they are
Listless shapes of
Tired, teaching something
To the rest of us
About not being
In the way
When the way is not
A deal
And we do better
Owning places
Away from doors
And under windows
x
Like the dogs of summer
Something for
The cats of winter, too
x
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Photo by Francesca Albert on Unsplash
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I Hope the Dogs and Cats Are Well
x
I heard stories about them
Early in the war
Not so much now
There might be zoos
I remember that detail
In a story by Unamuno
About the end of the world
And the wild animals getting out
But dogs and cats need our help
They always do
We made them that way
Adapted them for use
And took away their other capabilities
How could they stand up to wolves
Or bears or badgers
Wolverines
Or unknown men and women
With machine guns
Who have no familiar smells
Nothing about them
To indicate
Friend
Or family
Or home
Cats and dogs might do all right
With welcome from the stranger
But in battlefields
The anonymities are too severe
And the cruelties
Tend to pile up
Where did they go?
Where are the ones I was protecting?
I do not know anyone
Anything
Anymore
x
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Photo by troy williams on Unsplash
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(x = space)
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Species Speak Out
x
Is there a dog
In doggerel?
How about a dog
In dogma?
And while we’re at it,
Should it not be called
Godma?
x
I’m sure there is
A certain species
That, should we understand
And grasp
The elevated obvious,
Should know
Things are better served
By catterel
And catma
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Love between Dogs and Cats
Photo by Callum Shaw on Unsplash
x
Friday’s Children
It’s Friday
I should say something
About cats
And to be fair
Dogs
And if you have a rabbit
Pet your rabbit
Be careful ‘round the ears
Otherwise, I think they like it
Friday’s child is loving and giving
Cats, it’s true
Are a source of affection
And encouragement
Through seeming indifference
Dogs are obvious about it,
Aren’t they?
Sometimes that’s just what we need
Obvious affection
I’ve spent most of my life
Around both
Not both kinds of cats (though
that’s true)
But contrary cats
And thorough dogs
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Image by Peter Morth from Pixabay
(3)
Unplanning
I’m not sure why
A cool breeze
Always comes across as surprise
I’m thankful, really
I think if I arranged it,
I’d be particular in the wrong way
Overly concerned (if at all)
About temperature, humidity
Air pressure
Something about millibars
I’ll simply sit here
In a chair I hadn’t planned
If it rocks, that would be another boon
And if silently,
Would be relief
For my neighbor’s sake
The Only Kind that Matters
Bread used to be square
I saw it in a movie
‘Course then I’d have to say
Bread was black and white as well
I’m not how they pulled it off
What kind of protractor
Tyrannized the baking pans
I guess someone decided
That homey bread must have
A curvy bunch up top
But then began the crust wars
We’ve been waging ever since
Maybe after ends of eggs
The Lilliputians take this on for us
We’ve got toast to make
And victory in croutons
Squared
I think I sat in churches
And at funerals
For which paper fans were
Handed out
For trauma’s or heat’s
Sake I am uncertain
In our machine age
And cushioning our chairs
The paper fans seem to have
Gone away
Until the other day
When a friend presented me with
One of these, I’m not sure why
I hold it now, and I recall
It was the day of our town fair
And we’ve had record-breaking heat
This year
So folk wandered up and down
The street, bearing square
Reminders of mortality
You see, the name the favors bore
Was of a certain
Local institution
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Photo by Nathalie Ehrnleitner on Unsplash
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