Cats: A Love Poem in Four Parts, Expressing Loss, Anger, Questioning, and Acceptance, Concluding with a Couplet

I

Cats no longer come when I beckon,

Bend down, and make kissy kissy sounds.

I’m needy, they know.

I used to be their go-to guy.

They’d saunter over, brush their whiskers

Against my shins. I’d have ‘em vibrating,

Running in front of my feet

As I walked away.

Now? Nary a meow.

II

Crawl into my lap, purring smooth,

You with your soft fur, soft paws

And your LIES! Reeking of

Gutter water, trash can tuna, milk

Gone bad. Sleeping all day.

Don’t even talk to me, you can’t even talk to me!

Half-closed eyes half-blinking with pleasure.

May AIDS take your lives.

III

Are cats natural actors?

Can cats see us when we’re not there?

Why do cats get to run around naked?

When a cat falls does it land morally upright?

How do cats fare on sobriety tests?

IV

Reptiles are overrated.

Gerbils? You’re wasting my time.

Maybe a goldfish,

Some of them, the nice ones.

I’d like to meet a goldfish.

Goldfish. Who am I kidding?

Bats keep bumping into me;

Even dogs aren’t what they used to be.