he's a lover
but he loves that cat
more than any woman
it's a stray
like him
and there's no bullshit about that
nor any need for bullshit
with his pet
it drags its scrawny ass
out hunting
when it feels the need
it lets him feed it
hangs around
needing him
til he can't be there
then it doesn't
when he comes back
it's always glad
to see him
just him
it hates company
so does he
though you'd never know it
but the cat
makes no secret
and he likes that
more than anything
he loves that cat
he calls it fucker
and it says
"me? naw-you!"
Author notes
Mediaeval wizards chose particular animals/birds as their 'familiar spirits' or 'familiars' and would keep things as diverse as toads, falcons and pigs as such 'familiars' (pets). Ever noticed how dog owners and their dogs become more and more similar?
In a list
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Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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about the cat
I like this one. I enjoyed that the man seems to like the cat so much because it is like himself. I most liked that he "calls it fucker." Hahahaha. If I had a cat, I'd name it fucker.
. Rewarded 4
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refreshing read......
Hi,
I read this poem yesterday, to myself, and my boyfriend....We both identified with the last three lines...felt the need to come back and comment.....
Just a profound read....and one of those “chuckle a little every time I think about it”, reads.....I love how you paralleled the pet and the owner, either of which could be the human.....It flows beautifully, my only question: If a comma might help in the next to last line, reading instead
he calls it fucker
and it says, me?
naw-you!
As it stands I tend to read it ....he calls it fucker and it says me?......naw-you!
The change would read.....he calls it fucker, and it says... me? naw-you!
I suppose it depends on if you want the pause in beat there......
Your rhyme is poignant need/feed, cat/that....it pushed the beat along in a very strategic way.....
Your subject is novel and obviously well studied......
it's a stray
like him
and there's no bullshit about that
nor any need for
bullshit
with his pet
it drags its scrawny ass
out hunting
when it feels the need
Your use of slang, and hyperbole, here, heightens the feeling of the piece.....
I also find your “minimalist punctuation” readable, and I am a slave to the need for it.......
Thank you for submitting this refreshing read.....ttfn Laurel
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Hey Tanya. Getting such a considered and in-depth comment on any poem is always tremendously gratifying, (unless it's negative of course!) and receiving yours brightened my day. You seem to have 'got' all the nuances I attempted to contrive and it's especially pleasing to see you think EITHER could be the human. I wouldn't have dared hope for quite that much but it was definitely on MY mind when I wrote it and I hope the title (footnoted) helped with that. I also like that you like the minimalist punctuation/grammar. I used to do it on all my poems, but nowadays I'm between two stools about it. But I've been reading Bukowski lately and he's a definite influence on this one. If you're not already a fan, check out his work on our sister-site at Oldpoetry
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/by/Charles%20Bukowski?order=popularity
He's the best.
I took your points on board and re-edited in your honour. Thanks again and Merry Christmas to both you and your boyfriend. >W<
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hey john
i liked the parellels of man and cat, both are "strays" are aloof from others and even each other. my step mom said in the middle of the night my father didnt reach for her but the cat.
dave. Rewarded 4
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Mee-ow? No. "me? naw-you!" Nifty play on the cat's voice there, John, and how the little straying beast has become this wizard's alter self. Those medieval shamans were wise to discover their own personal animal spirits, just as our American Indians did, and still do. So I hear Windhover-the-Cat and Cat-the-Windhover in this one, a pair of free-spirit animals, wayward "fuckers" who "hate company", come around to get fed, then take off again...hunting. Good poem. Light of heart.
Know what I like most about this? Its unpretentious poetics: less and less am I drawn to ephemeral, purple, over-the-top, excessively florid musings on vague and private imaginings, although I still admire the technical skill and beautiful linguistics in such poems. More and more, I'm pulled into the ordinary and real things of life, even one as lowly and unsung as an old alleycat. Nice work, down-to-earth and simply said, with a little bite at the end. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Lad
By the way, "Lad", as I've already told you, is my lifelong nickname. Len, as in Leonard, is my real name - and "Leonard", from the Latin, means "Little Lion." MEEOWWWW!!!. Rewarded 8
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Takes one to know one...
Hi Len! How ridiculous that I know you over a year and never knew you as anything but Pentameterman or Lad. I think I always took it you wanted to be known as 'Lad' and that was that. Anyway, nice to meet the little lion! I suspect you may be just a little bit of an alleycat yourself! This one is about a real relationship I'm privileged to be privvy to and of course, 'Lad' 'got' all the vibes from it. The 'no frills' style is down to recent dalliances in the alleyways and suirs that were the brilliant mind of Charles Bukowski. I just love his stuff - the master of plain poetry. Thanks as always, my new friend, Len! (Ay oop Len just doesn't sound right though!) >W<
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