 |
| night, tree |
my kitten is senseless,
misses his sister, (dead
2 weeks) goes
out nights, gets into fights,
comes home beat up,
sKratched, missing tufts
of fur (what for?)
my finger finds the tender
spot before his ear
& he presses in --- nose
cut, bloodCrusted,
teaRtracked eyes
'we're
not much different,' i say,
letting him back out
Over @ dVerse Poets today, Victoria has us writing imagist poems with a point for Meeting the Bar. I really can't explain it, so you will have to stop in at 3 pm EST.
written in 55 words as well, for g-man.
Posts
109 comments:
We all grieve in our own way. Poor little guy. Glad he has YOU.
I do know how much Lefty grieved for his brother last year! and I know how I want to be mad at the world right now!
Poor little thing...
A tom cat ate one of our kitty and I know how the other little ones were for some days....'We're not much different' .. yes.
second stanza is so live...I could see it...
you are her caretaker...keep her in
Not much difference at all
So true the writing on your wall
And they do miss the other when they go
Always looking for them to run to and fro
That's true! They're not much different emotionally. They could not talk but they could express themselves in other different ways! Nicely Brian!
Hank
What a way to deal with grief.
I like this very much. I can relate to you both. Man's first instinct... and all that. Seems it's the cat's first instinct, too! Very effective write.
Bless him...funny isn't it? So many people think they're "just" animals and yet they KNOW when something is wrong, or someone is gone. Glad he has a good family to come home too after he lets off some steam :)
~Jen
So sad about both cats. And I guess it's kind of sad about you and us, who have to go out again everyday. But we also come home to heal our wounds. Nice writing Brian.
So sad when a pet's companion dies... there's no way of explaining it. When our yellow lad died, Jake became depressed. We soon remedied the situation... have you considered getting another cat?
I love the 'We're not much different" line...that was very powerful to me.
Like two soldiers commiserating after the battle.
Truth in that line " we're not much different". Sad when any one {anything} looses a companion, most can never be replaced. Thank you, Brian another good write!
Cats... I guess they live on the edge.
Awwww poor little kitty cat.
Glad he has the warmth of a house and love...and yes, we are all the same with our struggle for survival. Good one.
the pain of missing someone-- i can relate-- brought me back to my teenage years and i did behave just like your cat, just to not feel the pain anymore, as if-- today i may suffer a bit more quiet, not sure if this is better though-- a felt and powerful write bri--
poor kitty... "we're not much different" - too true!
Poor guy! I am sure he misses his sister... When I took two of my dogs to have teeth cleaned at the vet recently, they were gone about 8 hours...and their brother at home was beside himself wondering where they were. Animals definitely do form warm relationships with one another, I think. Glad your little one has you (and family). I would be worried about the fights though...hope he is tough! Smiles.
very touching poem. Humans and animals are similar in more ways than we often admit.
I also love the wordplay and usage that makes this resonate on multiple levels. And the title is awesome.
We all grive maybe in different ways, but inside us, there is an emptiness that will never be filled ~
Happy day ~
Yikes! Hope you both feel better! (I know this may have a fictional quality too though.) Animals and humans on definite continuum. k.
Ah, makes me sad. Hope you get him a new companion. We always like to have two dogs to keep each other company (and out of trouble) and they really do grieve when one moves on. Great job with the prompt, Brian. So far the computer (laptop) has only crapped out once this morning. It could be a long day. Can't wait to get the new one. This one must be over 10 years old now.
It's sad to see our furry friends grieve. I can tell he likes the extra love though and it helps. Glad we all have each other to lift us up and give a little extra tlc.
It's so true...we're not much different...they feel the pain of loss, my cat and dog mourned the passing on my old dog. It was amazing, and sad to watch. I really love this poem and the sentiment it conveys. Beautiful write.
oh! that is so sad, Brian! don't let him out! {sad smile} i know, you can't keep an outdoor cat in....
Aww...that's sad. Makes me dread the day I'm going to lose my dog. He's 11 so I've been freaking out about it lately.
Could see this in my mind, poor thing.
it is all about survival... and love , of course.
nice zinger, Brian.
Oh, poor little guy!!
Dear Brian, happy new year, hope you had great Holidays.;) I am back online, but truly am out of time constantly.;)
Having had cats my whole adult life, I can relate to your lovely piece. Indeed, not much different we are.;)
Have a great Friday and weekend.;)
xoxo
the kitten is one of your kids, brother, and it is both tough love, and real love that both in memory of the cat lost, and in respect to the young tom bristling with feline resentment & angst, you open the door and let him go out there and work through his grief; a wonderful moment you shared with us; thanks.
Great! Okay third time posting here, the ghost is deleting my entries. Ha. The zinger is we hurt n do it all over again, right?!
Oh, you caught that grief here so perfectly. Poor kitty. Poor you.
2 for the price of one today. Is there no end to your talents?
Hope you get those laptop/PC problems sorted.
Oh his poor little teartracked eyes........poor little fellow. this poem does hit home.
:(
poor guy
"we're not so different." How true that is; we feel loss, get ourselves into scrapes, do stupid things because we feel sad, bad or lonely ...
Animals do express grief. Your poor kitty! I had to take one of my dogs to the vet today, and the other was so upset as I left with his "brother."
My son got a kitten for Christmas this year. It was so sweet. And that little girl is already so much a part of our lives. My heart goes out to you and your guy.
Casey
This makes me smile in commiseration--hugs to both of you
Poor kitten! Interesting take at the end, although I feel that writing sometimes :P
Poor, sad kitty!
I know people who grieve this way.
ah... like how you can relate
That indissoluble link between human and animal kind!
poor guys....still grieving over my pup here, too.
If I understood her description correctly, isn't a LOT of your poetry this style?
Poor Kitty. Looking for positive attention from her sister, but settling for negative attention from whomever...glad she has a good home.
Tina @ Life is Good
http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
Great work--we are a lot like that. My oldest daughter's cat (a big male) used to stay gone for weeks and come back completely tore up. He's too old for that now, sleeps on the front porch and chases dogs from the yard. Nicely worded with a strong message.
Time to get him neutered. But then, would he still be like his daddy?
'Missing' can be difficult and we too deal with it harshly at times.
It is sad, but I like the poem.
yep we all r same.. in our little ways :)
So sad..when my dog Angel passed away, Daisy was sad and I found her in a dark room all by herself. Now Daisy is gone and I miss her so much :( This poem brought it all back.
Oh, well, better to feel pain than nothing at all. Fighting probably makes him feel alive.
Awww. Poor little guy. Not as different as we like to think. Love that third stanza.
Well, my cat lounges all day and... I don't think I am allowed to do that. Yes, I am jealous of my cat.
oh, yes, they do grieve in their very own way. this is a wonderful write, filled with truth, honest sentiment, and i love the close.
Animals do grieve in their own way too. It's heartbreaking to see them after a loss. Poor kitty. I hope he recovers soon.
Oh yeah, you're not much different at all. In fact, you have missing tufts of hair yourself!
Loved your morose allegorical 55 Son
LOTS!!
Thanks for being your normal, sensitive, ubiquitis, brilliant, poetic self.
Have a Kick Asws Week-End
A great comparison. The image is strong, reminiscing, touching.
I imagine a fight (or two) transforms the emotional pain into physical which helps to release what's bottled inside. a scar or two leaves a tangible memory of what is lost.
lovely exploration through imagist writing.
Wow! The feeling in this one is palpable. Excellent write, Brian.
I like how you've got exaggerated letters to emphasize the complaint in the first half to contrast to the softness in the turn at the end. I know cute is an insufficient complement but it's pretty adorable and heartfelt.
Aww, I can see his sad face looking around and wondering "what the heck happened". Glad you are there for him.
jj
Hey, Brian!
I love this one. I love the title and I love the line, "we're not much different."
Very nice. We all get beaten up, inside and out. We all miss someone.
Poor guy...life is tough out there on the streets..
This might be my most favorite Friday 55 of all the ones you've ever done.
As you remember from my post last week, my cat Brynden passed away on December 20, so I understand the grief of losing a beloved pet.
I love the part about how the two of you aren't all that different.
I feel neglected and beat up too, for a variety of reasons.
Thanks for another Friday 55.
Mine's here. :)
Pain, is pain, is pain...and he will keep on missing her...for a while longer I guess...
I do wish males didn't have to fight territorial battles. As you say, Brian, 'we're not much different'!
I dig it, B. Quite a lot, actually. I've read it several times now.
I like what you did with your capital letters, sneaking in some extra meaning.
sKratched (sK = it's okay)
cut, bloodCrusted = cut blood, see rusted (cutting blood makes me think of cutting covenant in the Bible, going to deeper places; that's what happens when you love or fight; you're fused somehow); also, this sounds like cutting open veins and finding rust--time and pain sometimes end in callouses, decay, and destruction rather than healing
teaRtracked eyes = "tea are tracked"; the color of tea; soothing, hypnotic, settled, calm; R tracked, race tracked, tracked, followed, stalked, train tracked, run over, near death ... so much story sits in the eyes
"kitten ... misses his sister" Love the sound here. Also in "fur (what for?)"
of fur = offer ... what for? What comes out of giving of yourself? People take. You get hurt.
"my finger finds the tender" I like the sound here as well.
Excellent closing line; love the double meaning. "letting him back out" Letting him go back outside. But also, letting him back out of something he's afraid of, something he's promised to do, something he's gotten involved in that he shouldn't have. This makes me think of teenagers and gangs, crime, drugs, etc. The list could on and on.
Sorry to ramble. I just saw a lot of "extra" here.
...we can always find connections on other beings... i guess, a bit of psychology may be applied... an interesting touch here Brian... short, direct & longing.....
strong piece, love the close, very effective. My first cat was an outdoor one and he would fight all the time. That's why I decided for my latest cats, the one that passed away in may and Chloe, back when i got them seven or so years ago, to keep them indoor. Sometimes I feel bad about keeping them indoors, but then I remember the fighting or the missing for a couple days and worrying where they were and am glad they stay inside. Hope you cat can move on, my cat is still crying at night, it's heartbreaking to hear the emotion in her meow/howling. Excellent piece Brian.
life can be a ragged business
maybe she needs time in with family
This is wonderful. Typical cat.
Oh poor poor kitty ... keep him inside with lots of pats
You and the cat are the same; you get knocked down in life through loss but fight back for all it's worth. Very powerful!
Pets can certainly be a reflection of their owners. Now, I guess it is your turn to go off and battle.
I like the way the choppiness of the lines reflects the subject matter.
Many times the animals are distant from our world they live according to their instincts, and sometimes the animals are identical to humans and cry with us.
Aww poor kitten. Could you keep him in for a day or so? Animals do grieve, they're just like us in that respect.
As many ay that pussy in my city.
I've missed so much since I've been absent, Brian. But some things never change...your talent for one. I am vowing to do better in the coming year at getting "out" to see my blogging friends. :)
My cat minds her own business but there are a couple of cat bullies in the neighborhood who come into our yard and terrorize her! We've had to get her stitched up a couple times. But she just loves going out...hard to keep her in.
Aww poor kitty. I like the ending. Makes one think about why we are the same. I think we tend to make the same mistakes again and again and life would be less of an adventure and that we grieve by running away at times.
life is a battle.
.. reading Jasmine's comment helped me to see other hidden meanings...how you weave the words in double entendre so skillfully is amazing..
I like this shorter one, bri--you are always interesting, but never more so than when you do things a little different, and while you always describe with great immediacy, this really is a more visual presentation, but with all the usual Miller ambiguity, sideways eyeball, and depth.
It appears humans aren't the only species that acts out in grief. Your few words paint a vivid picture. Love it.
Brilliant - just brilliant.
Poor little grieving kitty. Best stay low for a bit and let the storm pass, or for the new moon to rise.
i know, that's the saddest thing. you can't explain to them that their gone. my cat charcoal, when her sister Soot died, kept walking from one of Soot's hiding places to another mewing and looking and looking. we finally had to get her another cat, who she of course hated...but that's another story. :(
Watch over the cat, you’re the owner and responsible.
Your poem has made me sad.
This hit me in the heart!
Is true when Rex die (about a month) I feel especially Ares (the more little) was lost, and still he is more quiet (only is crazy with when I water the plants) I think animals have something special and suffer too, what thing didn't is nice you care him.xo
Brian you are a good man:-)
97 comments?
sweet Cheezus you're a superstar.
xxx
With so few words you tell such a story! Poor kitty!
we are not much different - so true..
and as always your words create the scene - powerfully
This really tugged my heart...and your close says so much, speaks volumes. Sometimes we kick and claw through initial grief/loss too...and hopefully the damage keeps to a minimum. Poor lil guy.
poor kitty
it's hard to miss a pet
We aren't are we? Sorry for the loss. That is so hard.
Poor little kitten. Yet he keeps going back for more. Is that like you too?
Constructive poetry. The mother in me comes out fighting Brian (which poems should encourage ever so often) - letting a kitten out to the streets?
Oh that so sad, poor little kitty...it's hard to lost someone close to you. It's fortunate for him Brian that he's got you!
Hi! again, Brian...
Thanks, for sharing the image
"night, tree..."
"as[your]kitten [who]is senseless,misses his sister, (dead
2 weeks) goes...
Which is [very] sad and yet,you have described the unseen cat fight that he encountered during the night so very vividly...too!
deedee :)
Sad that the kitten has lost his sister. May be time for neutering to keep him from fights.
No matter the species ... grieving is just that.
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