I had no idea what to write for today and we have this obligatory kitty ditty Challenge on our website and if it weren’t for a post by a friend of mine on FB last night and an article about this Russian photographer whose favorite subject is his daughter and her cat, I would not have had a poem today. FYI, for everyone who knows how much I hate cats, this poem does not necessarily reflect the views of the poet.
What Are Cats Good For?
A cat is indispensable when you find yourself
with scrap yarn after you knit
your daughter a hoodie and pair of socks.
Make kitty a matching ensemble and slip him in it.
She will never need a dolly for her stroller.
He will listen, attentively, when she reads Puss-in-Boots;
sing along when she practices her guitar; assist
in finger painting and toilet training, inspecting
the results. He will teach her Hide-n-Seek,
camouflage, high jump and haughty
nonchalance when she gets caught
filching treats; which he taught her, also.
Kitty is a skin exfoliater, his tongue
removing not only dirt. He is a pacifier,
though not a transitional object.
He makes a poor pillow, preferring to be
the blanket. In the end, he teaches grief.
