365 Poems: 13 Ways

Day Three

Here's one that I wrote totally for fun. The assignment from my Gotham writing class was to take Wallace Stevens “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" and imitate it. Since some of my classmates had complained about an overabundance of seriousness in poetry, I thought I'd ask Sammy (ignoring us, at right) to lighten things up. He obliged. 

“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Cathy”
by Sammy the White

I
Among billowing comforter
The only moving thing
Is my tail. She’s so damn lazy.

II
I am of one mind
Because cats are focused.
She’s clearly lost hers.

III
She wanted me to go outside. It was too windy.
I peed in her shoes.

IV
A man and a women
Should be able to feed their cat on time.
Myself and my food dish
Are one.

V
I don’t know which I prefer,
The juiciness of Fancy Feast
Or the crunchiness of Iams.
The sound of her opening the can
Or just after.

VI
Icicles fill the front window
With barbaric glass.
Inside I pace before it,
To and fro.
Her mood
Is black as the shadow.
No treats today.

VII
Oh paunchy man of the couch,
Why do you imagine I prefer you?
Don’t you see how I
Walk around you
To get to the woman?

VIII
I meow really loud
Over and over
Because I know if I don’t
She’ll forget I exist
And my bowl remain empty.

IX
I lay on her pillow
When she’s not looking
I go ‘round in circles first.

X
At the sight of blackbirds
Just outside the windows
She won’t let me out!
I meow even louder.

XI
She sends him to Kroger
In the Dodge Caliber.
I’m scared he’ll forget
My favorite brand, and
Dinner will be a shadow
Of what it should be.

XII
She’s finally moving.
Dinner must be coming.

XIII
I want dinner all morning,
And also afternoon.
The damn snow is no excuse
For her to forget my dinner.
This is for the birds.