Sunday 23 March 2014

29th October 2012


The ferry that transported souls
Way across the river
Was anchored in the harbor
Where anyone would shiver
Who saw it through the mist;
I hope it's not your name
That's on the boarding list,
O pussycat afflicted
In a manner odd and strange,
In my case, not seen before,
Yet it's hoped your luck might change
From bad to good or even more
As what were you but a cat
And a kitten too at that
And if bad things are from God
For the bad things we have done,
Pray, tell me, pussycat,
Of all the bad things you have done,
This judgement passed on you is for which one?




8th September 2011


It seems to me that I cannot decide
Exactly what it is that I desire;
It might be that I can no longer hide
This need to light this big poetic fire
Embodied in this embryonic verse
Whose seed has taken root inside the womb
Which shall should it fall victim to a curse
Be not its incubator but its tomb
But only if the curse involved a death
And death kept to a schedule of its own
When targeting somebody's final breath
Which till today has no way to be known
Except when pointing gun at someone's head
And shooting twice to make sure that he's dead.


16th June 2011


The children have all eaten, their bellies quite content.
The bedsheets that were soiled have been changed without comment;
The washing up's been done but no need to thank me, ma'am,
As domesticated, aye, that I am.

The children have all eaten, their bellies satisfied,
The garbage has been taken out, the dishes washed and dried;
The pantry's been re-stocked but no need to thank me, ma'am,
As domesticated, aye, that I am.

The children have all eaten, the washing up's been done,
Here comes bedtime knocking on the door for everyone;
Hot water's in the flask but no need to thank me, ma'am,
As domesticated, aye, that I am.


9th June 2011


It's the curse of the clan
That has befallen you,
O Pussycat Afflicted,
As has befallen others before you
That were born into this household
Which your mother,
And the gang of seven behind,
Have thus far escaped
By the skin of their teeth
In general
But which I wouldn't be too confident about
In time to come
As all have fallen victim
To the curse of the clan,
Every single one,
One way or the other.

Not even your mother,
Who has led a charmed life thus far,
Can be lucky forever;
What then makes you so special
That you will be the first?
Already I haven't much hope
In your recovery;
Such was the severity,
And complexity,
Of your affliction
As well as my lack of faith
In a God
Who no longer watches over us
As a shepherd watches over his flock
But now uses each one of us
For target practice,
Myself included.


9th March 2011


Old paint containers in the front porch,
Covered with rags,
Upon which you used to curl up and sleep
Serve as memorials to you,
O Pussycat Departed.

The paint contained within had a strong, foul odor,
The last time I checked,
And it's about time they were discarded.

But somehow, if I look long and hard enough,
I still see you there,
All curled up and fast asleep.

So, tell me,
How am I gonna accomplish something like that
When, apart from some photographs,
Those old paint containers in the front porch,
Covered with rags,
Upon which you used to curl up and sleep,
Were all I had left of you?


21st February 2011


Two rats and seven cats waiting to be fed,
The cats - extended family,
The rats - uninvited guests
But tolerated nonetheless by the cats
Who probably grew up thinking that the rats
Were nothing more than funny-looking cats
And therefore learnt to share the food they ate
Instead of giving vent to the hate
Cats naturally have for rats,
Israelis for Palestinians,
India for Pakistan,
Al Qaeda for the West
And so on
And so forth.

Perhaps we could all learn something from this;
After all, is there not to be found,
All over the world,
To name but one example,
Cats and dogs,
Sworn enemies by nature,
Living harmoniously in the same house together?


21st January 2011


Why should I stand on stage and sing
When others cannot talk
Or do the hundred-meter thing 
When others cannot walk
But in a wheelchair sit
With hands that cannot knit
Or even hold a piece of classroom chalk?
Hence, be silent, tongue of mine
And, feet of mine, be still
Till the waters of the Rhine
Stand up like a hill
Or till the phone next rings
And answer it I must
Or once again sprout wings
Whilst shaking off the dust
Of a good night's sleep
To start anew the day tomorrow always brings
Beginning with a beep, beep-beep, beep-beep,
As does a clock that sings
Or cock-a-doodle-doo's
In its own clock-like way,
Yes, cock-a-doodle-doo's
In its own clock-like way.


18th January 2011


Have mercy, Lord, have mercy
Upon this dying cat
Whose life You're taking back early
And should in three days flat
For it was just a baby
Whose heart was just as pure
And I don't ask that maybe
You might provide a cure
For one whose end was near
But that it might not suffer
But angel voices hear
As each last breath gets tougher
And vision slowly fades
Of waiting men with spades,
As vision slowly fades
Of waiting men with spades.



15th January 2011


Value what you have,
What you've been blessed with,
And give thanks to God,
For it can all be taken away,
In the wink of an eye,
In whole or in part,
Just as it happens all the time,
To others,
Never to us,
Until it actually does,
When you least expect it.
It is a common misconception -
The belief in one's own indestructibility,
One's own immortality,
But the good thing about it is,
It gets the job done,
Whether it's climbing mountains,
Or going to the moon,
In the manner only extraordinary people are capable of,
And so on,
And so forth.


5th January 2011


How nice to fade into the sunset
And leave behind all earthly cares
And work-related headaches
Which, on second thoughts,
Wouldn't be such a good idea after all
If sunrise brought it all back, Jack.

How nice to melt into the wind
And shed the mantle of human toil and suffering
That's worn like a second skin
Since the day you were born,
In my case,
Fifty-three weather-beaten years ago, Jo.


22nd December 2010


Should ye knock upon my door
And find nothing of interest within
Let it dawn upon thee
Here and now
That a virtual door in a virtual house in a virtual neighborhood in a virtual land in a virtual world in a virtual universe
Hath not the soul nor the touch
Of a real door in a real house in a real neighborhood in a real land in a real world in a real universe
For the simple reason that,
Even were I not at home,
Nor, for that matter, my beloved mother,
My cats shalt thou find either a-greeting thee or scattering like the sparks of a firecracker explosion
And that alone, dear Visitor, is a wonderful thing.


9th December 2010


The ferry that transported souls
Way across the river
Was anchored in the harbor
Where anyone would shiver 
Who saw it through the mist;
It would be tough denying
Your name was on the list,
O Pussycat Afflicted,
Like one despised by God
And from His sight evicted
With one swing of the rod of damnation;
If on the boarding list
My own name isn't found
May the ferry that transported souls
Way across the river
Halfway run aground
Rather than my grieving heart
Be utterly torn apart.


4th December 2010


The dice were rolled
And your mother's number came up,
O Pussycat,
Which might explain her absence
These two days past.
But what's this?
Here she cometh,
Lively and looking well,
Suggesting that this bit of verse,
Begun some ten lines back,
Might have neither substance nor stamina
To hold its course
Or even one line more last, Jack.