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Hasan Aspahani Aug 2017
I a m hungry, therefore I am -  Garfield



IN prayer he will never utter
    it waits for the rain of milk,
       a heavy rain, because of him

the cat with thirsty tongue, see with
      its own eye, when mother was disappear.

In prayer he never dared to ask
     it wants a fishy fish neck,
         the smell of a fisherman,

no care about salt salinity, or its own sweat.

In prayers he will never say
       it expected the lap, the fire on that stove
                warm, and maybe also sear.
Charles Barnett Sep 2012
I'm feline in my approach
slender-sleek and silent
footsteps like ghosts
on stairwells and whispers
in your ears.

I have nine lives
and I've wasted them
all stalking you
through concrete
jungles and labyrinthian
words and feelings.
Raquel Martinez Mar 2015
Well groomed,
whiskers bunched up,
tufts of hair mount at the ears.
Spikes adorn the pink flesh,
rhythmically, forcefully,
holding down rebel patches of fur.
A gentle lift of the tail,
still as it suspends in the air,
descending with an almost deliberate thud.
Amplified vibrations from the trachea;
a mutual understanding of satisfaction.
The slow rise and fall at the belly,
squinting eyes, stiff head;
familiar features of slumber.
Relentlessly seeking affection,
her presence is inevitable.
Donall Dempsey Nov 2020
ATARAXIA

Felis Catus blinks
"The Tories think
( I didn't know they could do that)


we are not sentient beings
or that we do not feel pain?
Only shows they have no brains!


'Unheimleich' as Heidegger
would have observed!"
she purrs...delicately...cleans herself.


"Your philosophy is
your  fail-osophy...
you simply think too much.


Think instead of do
and you can't do without thinking.
Poor poor you!


Be like me.
Just be.
Be.


Only when you play
with me do you
escape being human.


I am your distraction
from the prison of your self
just stop your self thinking

live in this
instant
no before or after.

Ah 'the great chain of being'
placing your self at the top
oh so smugly superior.


Our feline-osophy
would be if at all
not to have a philosophy.


As Montaigne  put it
so succinctly  you 'needed
a mind departing distraction"


to deal with your consciousness
and awareness of death.
And I my friend - am it!

Now if you can be
a good chap and feed me
that can be my fee

for talking you through
your all too human dilemmas
and you may yet achieve

(perhaps)ataraxia
but until then or when we cats
learn to peel the foil

from Kitty Kat Salmon
and so leap to the top
of the 'great chain of being."

Felis Catus
will rule
over all.


*

ATARAXIA....a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquility.
ATARAXIA....a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquility.
Wesley Williams Jul 2014
Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature;
Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses
Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
A singular development of cat communications
That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion,
It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display
Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

-Data
Heidi Franke Aug 2019
Tiny lion laid so low
Who cut your mane
Your glow
The brain-land took, synapses struck
then
lost you
and it your-self and soul

The savanna called home
smacked of a foreign land
we found you hidden and weaving
your paw-full feet
scratching
telescoping
your way through the
streets of castaways, vines, and fists
Catching you then in its
paltry honeycomb

What are those points of neurons
fabricating in your mind
feeding fears
with gesturing claws
devising and fantasizing
luring my felis Leo, oh sick cat
take our love
struggling to bridge the gaps

Companions you lost
drifting through the dust
of the city cement
and ****** watered drugs
in veins
used by demons
who take the souls of lions
are now in their own generation, generating
their continued demise
away from you in your living trust

Your crown of tresses matted in tassels,
we searched the grass and pavements
we feared you were lost.
adrift,
missing and gone.
Years past,
treatments were tried
you emerged
the clearing did rise
you could now greet the day
to the love songs you hear
sing them for you,
you are the love
     whose worth is waiting
Lead on

You
Your Highness, watching upon your hill
breathe slow
linger a bit
recognize the worth of time
know there is a strength
in delay
anticipate dear one
the sun rises
Standy by,
for the afterglow

Master through life
do not succumb
your homeland,
waiting
as new companions take shape
As long as there are
plenty of tomorrows  
upon tomorrows
to a pick a friend,
a quarrel,
a dandelion.
accept hope,
A day for Lions will come.
A poem, revised today, which I wrote 5 years ago after my teenage son entered into a serious mental illness and use of drugs. He was homeless. He attempted suicide. He is now, at age 24, finding safe spaces in his life and mind, and no longer homeless. He is alive. He is happy, but as we all do, still struggles from time to time.
The Fire Burns Dec 2017
Night creatures on the prowl,
stalking their prey in silvered moonlight,
from above wings flap and eyes glow,
searching for mice and shrews.

Through tall grass and into the
plowed fields, slinking close to the ground,
flattened and oozing through mountain filtered
cool air, the tomcat searches for a meal.
Danish Wahi Jul 2017
Dreamy sequel ceased and
From thin air came a blow,
Misery slithered silently
Wrenched my heart it though

Tremors were deepfelt
Not a frown did I show
Ma mère accused divinity
I knew I did me wrong.

Thud fall shook me bad
Things were rosy a while ago,
Night came down like silk
An atonement started to grow

When posed an interrogation
How come happened so?
My eyes averted sheepishly
And conscience plummeted low

My head accepted verity
Mais heart refused to follow,
Like a squab shutting eyes
To overlook a felis shadow

With broken heart, a lost face
And failure laden torso
Shackled in remorse did I
Go sinking down the hydro.
Glossary
My mère - My mother
Mais - But
Squab - Baby pigeon
Felis - Cat
Tu me dis t'appeler Vulvette Underground
Et tu revendiques ta naissance subliminale
Tu serais donc tout sauf animale.
Mais je persiste et signe
Ma déclaration d'amour zoolâtre
Et je te baptise Felis maniculata.
Tu es la représentation vivante et parfaite
De la déesse muse et lionne Bast
La déchireuse
Et pour amadouer éternellement les démons qui te saisissent
À chacun de nos ébats pharaoniques
Je te couvre de natron résineux
Et je t'emballe de mes lèvres
Comme de bandelettes de lin charnel
Et je t'embaume dans le ****** de nos cris de jouissance entrecroisés
Avant de t'enfouir momifiée
Dans le parinirvana des chattes gantées.
(alternately titled: lion eyes hide sharp claws)

Aye attest tubby reincarnated
     from one male Russian Blue
species Felis silvestris catus
     named Morris if that gives a clue,
and during my fuzzy past
     hence, asthma “Cats Cradle”
     segued into kitten hood
     fur hum lee established

    type cats as (tin pan) alley cat,
     a rather litter boxed gritty debut
t'wood become (later in life) tabby
     quick as greased lightening
     snatching in the air,
     when tender vittles flew,
technically got fired (acquiring
     appropriate nick names)

     as fame (like a bushy cat tail) grew
viz perfect back up crooner
     for “Cat Stevens”,
     or lead singer for
     the "Stray Cats" oddly
coupled, featured, and
     incorporated with the guru
Horton Hears A Hoo,

yes him Elephant resembling
     a humungous mandrake
     from the, "Animals"
whose body heat could
     easily melt an igloo,
whereby Eskimos accepted charity from
     Korean philanthropists named Joo
     (founders of Palaces for Pachyderms)

these lumbering creatures possessed
     an exemplary photographic memory
     (rivaling that of the amazing
     deceased idiot savant
     Kim Peek) knew
practically every detail
     incorporating trunk their lines
     (and could track missing link,

when felines shared common ancestor
but,...such petty files would most likely boar
and go way off course, and hence
     will shy away being extempore
favoring a deliberate fore
ray padding around basically ignore
ring any rhyme or reason
suddenly ending this persiflage,
     and thence to thee bon jour
I began crafting the following words
late morning eating me whey and curds
never able (though quite willing) ugh
for constipated excretory system to...
function optimally and make turds.

In highland manor convalescent home
ideal to buzzfeed subconscious with a
long catnap until... free animal equality
i.e. meaning declaration of indepence
encompassing all creatures great and

small, whereby each breathing, living,
cohabiting with kvetching **** or
lesbian sapien as well other organisms
gifted to roam across terra firma all
their natural unfettered existence.

Damp and cold spring weather purr fect fur mice elf
when yours truly (me oh), a stray cat in previous life,
with cheesy mouselike timidity, stoutly readily avow
outsize feline family members, experienced powwow
among fodder, when boxed in corner, I litter lee mutter
against feral general instinctual lionized in mane know

wing, (albeit audacious, ferocious, vicious...) tigress
calling me hey you Eufrates cat, chicken sh*t, getting
browbeaten meekly accepting, I brought humiliation
bowing passively giving up feebly accepting furry us
kickstarting, ripsnorting, urinating madding crowd,
nor standing proudly on all faux pas inept descience

non verbally communicated threats how sissyfuss me
best be declawed locked & linkedin and with lucky dog
effeminate mystique (er... rather mistake) born as runt
plainly evincing, categorically jackknifing, trending
embarrassing brother and sister near kin courtesy mine
unpardonable finicky behavior catnip never endowed

deserved more egregious than petty file within glorious
historical annals regarding Felis Domesticus, therefore
deeming unacceptable "fake catatonic" diagnosis allow
wing no holds barred, all barred holes la cage aux folles
assignation, designation, integration... imprisoned with

aforementioned outcast species, and/or repurposed cow
feed since unanimous conclusion no snowball chance
in hell (low kitties) decreed by none other than Morris
nsync with animated commercial starring Sylvester both
though ostracized caving into rich money deals cash cow
role their saving Grace (and private Ryan) neither well

received (more so treated) outkast within immediate family
nevertheless everywhere taxidermists experienced affection
despite catalepsis poised to strike stance, and highbrow
folks entombed themselves with selfies and roaring whisk
herd manner of nine kampf existences exemplified heyday

courtesy of each special fearless cate, whose track record
boasted untold unfortunate victims comprising killing
fields, thus wimpy creature regarding chance Matthew
Scott Harris never honored as dignified compared to how
his brethren and cistern forever appraised with to meow,

prey tell savoring flesh as tender vittles kitty chow chow,
which genetic fate automatically cost first of nine lives
(mine) lovely bones feeble, who wanted nothing more
than to curl himself in a ball and sleep blissfully,
eternally and merrily dreaming about Lady and *****
poe' wit out making sense and sensibility doth lean.
(alternately titled: lion eyes hide sharp claws
unless made irate, then yours truly
bares his sharp talons
on all of mine faux pas).

Aye attest tubby reincarnated
from one male Russian Blue
species Felis silvestris catus
named Morris if that gives a clue,
and during my fuzzy past
hence, asthma “Cats Cradle”
segued into kitten hood
fur hum lee established

type cats as (tin pan) alley cat,
a rather litter boxed gritty debut
t'wood become (later in life) tabby
quick as greased lightning
snatching in the air,
when tender vittles flew,
technically got fired (acquiring
appropriate pet nicknames)

as fame (like a bushy cat tail) grew
viz perfect back up crooner
for “Cat Stevens”,
or lead singer for
the "Stray Cats" oddly
coupled, featured, and
incorporated with the guru
Horton Hears A Hoo,

yes him Elephant resembling
a humungous mandrake
from the, "Animals,"
whose body heat could
easily melt an igloo,
whereby Eskimos accepted charity from
Korean philanthropists named Joo
(founders of Palaces for Pachyderms),

these lumbering creatures possessed
an exemplary photographic memory
(rivaling that of the amazing
deceased idiot savant
Kim Peek) knew
practically every detail
incorporating trunk hated lines
(and could track missing lynx),

when felines shared common ancestor
but,...such petty files would most likely boar
and go way off course, and hence
I will shy away being extempore
favoring a deliberate fore
ray padding around basically ignore
ring any rhyme or reason
suddenly ending this persiflage,
and thence to thee bon jour.
Upon Googling Petco
regarding purchasing gift card
for eldest daughter
(she tends two beautiful female felines)
Petsmart website appeared right and center
innocuously distracting purported intent.

The nearest latter named store
approximately a dozen plus miles away
whereas former specialty shop
in closer proximity to her,
she (first born offspring),
who resides within Oakland, California.

I readily admit envisioning
gamut of goodies
(to enhance Felis catus existence),
whence yours truly
easily self hypnotized himself
into catatonic trance
while drooling over plethora of
goodies to accessorize pet life.

Alumni school of hard knocks
learned forty dollar life lesson
(twenty smackaroos allotted
each competing purveyor
of similar pet merchandise.

Website designers masterfully
employ machiavellian (cutthroat) tactics
to ****** up business
when an online shopper
scouting around for any product.

Businesses cater to shoppers
seeking any particular product
must activate, facilitate,
and integrate subterfuge
(obviously exercising subtle techniques)

to hoodwink savvy netizen
confidently kickstarting and buzzfeeding
insatiable pinteresting itsy bitsy
(spidery) prodigal son wannabe hankering
to splurge on themselves,
viz their pet peeve.

Even with earlier premeditated notion in mind
to secure gift card for Eden (said progeny),
predilection toward easy distraction
found me admitting aforementioned faux pas,

which spurs (Matthew Scott's)
quasi crazy corollary
subsequently stated thus,
when deliberate focus absent
obviously good n plenti (of fishy)

opportunities thrives affording advertisements
expedient modus operandi
to bandy, dangle, and features wares
eliciting, emancipating, enticing
yours truly, who drooled and slobbered

suddenly spurred with Pavlovian craving
to whip out debit card (whip it good)
and surrender sparse monies
to plunk down electronically x dollars,
whereby another citizen banker bit the dust.

Overzealous to feign
being monetarily gifted
faux lavishing self with impulse buying
justified as early Holiday,
(viz Xmas) shopping,
(no matter I suffer agoraphobia)
figuratively ran counter
to credo of frugal lifestyle.

Impossible mission
to wrench free and clear,
where penury indelibly
(albeit figuratively) writ large
across precarious teetering complex edifice
there's a sucker born every minute,
and ye espy the latest one freshly minted.
While rifling through outdated poems of mine
some written quite a number of years ago,
the following mewing effort, I decided to post
for all purring cyber surfers linkedin
to the webbed, wide world to read.

Prince Of A Cat - Ninth Life Long Since Spent

Preface to this brief bitty
written snap ting snapshot – word ditty
dates back before I reached gritty
age of eight and fifty, aye recall a kitty
named Boozie, but also known
(for no particular rhyme or reason) as Walter Mitty
rescued by my youngest sister, who took pity
and felt aghast,
at a potential cruel fate no intent Tabby witty.

Upon return home from an Antioch College coup
(so many diverse work experiences required -
some involving offal goop
i.e. case in point being this anecdote,
which may fall outside the loop
of common “hands on

off fish shawl” employment,
thee tasks on par with handling ****
stoically accepted by Shari Todd
(name of said sibling),
who when home from Davis, California

(albeit temporarily, and before she returned
to Yellow Springs, Ohio) divulged
how she did scoop
dread, dreck, dregs, et, cetera –

i.e. by product amidst fish farm
didst set her dead against being linkedin
purr animal cruelty, thus play role of troop
er – which tummy
earned her kudos a resounding whoop!
* * * * * * * * * * *
Before launching into this poem purr say
lemme mention how thine late mother
took an immediate affinity and hence no delay
that this lucky creature became akin to a bebe.

Main ****, Felis catus, nicknamed Boozie
raccoon features, face mask, brown thick costume
handsome boy, affectionate personality, expressively vocal

Pink wet nose, emerald eyes, pointed ears
cavernous mouth, sharp teeth, rough tongue
striped design, massive fluffy fur, bushy tail

Soft paws, padded cushions, retractable blades
wild animal, predation urge, survival instinct
agile movement, swift motion, unfortunate victim

Door prize, flies feast, whitened bones
loyalty strong, pageant display,
splayed across kitchen table courtly dignity

Quiet house, sonar sounded, Cheshire upward smile
purred softly, rubbed legs, warm vacant lap
Jumping agility, firmly sequestered

Contentment expressed, internal hum, reciprocal therapy
beautiful petsmart, little monkey, comfortably sleeps
peaceful slumber, wakeful stretch, ideal life
Fortunate intervention, cat whisker to demise,
brush avoided becoming piscine meal,
kingly privileged role, heartfelt love.

— The End —