"But what are their jobs?" she asked
my mother, the only one in the world
who would demand that cats have jobs
or perhaps it is only a requirement from another era
they should catch mice, except there are no mice
they should catch snakes, but  I've never seen a snake in my apartment

My cats keep house
A stack of papers needs to be spread on the floor
This makes it more comfortable to sit on

Small objects must be knocked from raised flat surfaces
Cats like to be up high
and they like to have plenty of room

First, there is the interest of knocking the object,
watching it's movement to the edge
How much effort does it take to move it?
Does it slide?
Or does it lurch and stop.
And how does it land on the floor?
Does it break apart? Splatter? Bounce?
Flat surfaces are for sitting and sleeping on
Small objects get in the way, and should be stored
on the floor

Mostly, my cats jobs are to be cute
And that they are very good at

What is my job?
That could fill a small report
But really, what is it?

Maybe, it is to enjoy life
like my cats
breath by breath
no matter what happens