Monday, June 20, 2011

A cat poem Ana cannot forget


On the one hand it's odd that Ana and cats share some mysterious affinity for each other, since cats do not exist on her native planet, Thomo. On the other hand, it's not mysterious at all. Anyone who knows cats knows that they have a rich collection of mysterious qualities (as well as a number of perfectly understandable qualities too, of course).


Dogs love humans, unless those humans have given them reason not to. Cats, being nearer to their wild origins, are able to exist on their own, without humans. If a cat should therefore choose to live with people and enjoy their company, it would seem to reflect well on those individuals, or so it seems to us.

Ana recently found a poem about a cat which loved a family but could not be with them (because of "allergies," according to the poet). Yet it stayed as close as it could, loving them through windows and doors, learning their routines inside, and following them around the house, but from outside.

The poem does not end happily, as the family "broke," and moved away, inexplicably leaving the cat behind, and Ana saddened to the point of watering eyes. She particularly liked the lines "Little spark of consciousness, / calm kitty eyes staring / through the window."

The poet says he could not get the cat out of his mind. Neither can Ana.

Gray, by Philip K. Deaver*

*NOTE: The host site for this and some of Ana's other favorite poems in this blog has been closed. But there's a workaround that usually takes you to them! Please see the Apology!
Thank you!



Other cat poems from Ana's collection:









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