A flash of movement just inches from blindness
sudden shadow streaks like a shot arrow
tail-flickering, black impatience scratching
deep wounds in polished wooden floor. Noww! Morre! -
rents her voice through fan-padded air, static
with mathematical (mal)function. No more; she scatters
with dismissive swipe, loci and line-graph
A paper explosion. Slaps my pen from my hand
butts books off the table, and amid paper storm,
hisses dumb the flies.
Notes rain around us. She and I are face to face
skin and fur. She, O, miniature Fury, Lachesis!
In awe, I see: plastic wind, fan gusting, spiking up soft sides
dark, like hedgehog unlike cat
a puff of crosshatched graphite pencil,
wispy persian. Now spitting and snarling sour, copper eyes widening and
(universal flinch)
screeching her dissatisfaction. Against, maybe,
how a human might find differential equations, delta limits
or poor MacLaurin's innocent series more interesting than she; or
pointing out that theta values, mu and pi
are little more than mere scratches, that look a bit
like dried cat food.
Then yowls, and vanishes off the desk
disappearing round the room on paw and claw tip,
banishing me from her frenzy.
Awash with ruins of tests, text and furry tufts, this exile
sits and surveys the aftermath.
Author notes
Cat!
At the time I wrote the first draft for this, Tweety was nearing 20 years old, black, beautiful, puffy and silky and raging. I used to call her a "puff of fury" as much as quite unbiasedly the most beautiful cat I'd ever known in my life. (and one of my dearest friends. She passed away recently.) But yes, she did frequently have mad fits and race around the room in circles, or leap on the desk and rip apart my work. Or sometimes she just padded nonchalantly onto my book and fell asleep on it, smothering my hands in the process too.
Lachesis was one of the Furies, in case you didn't know.
I've always missed doing mathematics. The longer and more complex the math question, the more fun it was. (Though I never quite understood second order differential equations. Heh.)
So forgive me my little overindulgence with the references...
A contest entry
- I want poems about cats! by Meroza.
450 points, ended May 18, 2008, 22 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
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This was a beautiful piece that kept me enthralled throughout. We have 3 cats and I could see a little of each of them as I read this. I think the math references (even though I'm an idiot in that field) were very well placed and brought a sense of logic to the apparent illogic that cats sometimes bring (though, I know they have their own logic...). Sorry about the loss of your cat, but you did a great tribute here.
. Rewarded 8
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Thsi is a really great poem, keep up the good woek, and thank you so much for entering my contest, ♥ Christina
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Really well written! I especially love the line "She, O, miniature Fury, Lachesis!", it's great how you picture the cat as some unearthy power Keep on!
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Thanks for the comment! Glad you liked it.
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