TIGERS
Ow. In fact ouch.
John Ashbery
John Ashbery
I'm inside now after a day of shoveling heavy snow
work clothes hung up by the wood stove
ice clothes melting
which attracts the kitten
the water drops. . .
each one, one after another
and the kitten is on them
never seen these before!
pattering on the small rug
then on his head
it's all fascinating
that's a kitten —
one with the wild
everybody in the world, except for millions now,
once understood how we made our living was
with nature
not against it, with
water drops also onto our heads
we can't feed every hungry person for some reason
we can't jail the corporate criminals for some reason
just the one that feverishly stole from the rich for his own reason
we can't seem to understand why we are fascinated by the sex escapades
of Tiger Woods, the first truly black athlete accepted by white people
thought of not as black by black people
in the wild many before had their own sex stories
though none were the pet of whites, on the white golf links,
not until Tiger
who is hardly a cat —
a cat is all day fascinated by just simple water drops
the freest animal in all the world
Bob Arnold says learn to meow, purr and scratch
