Bad Poetry: Little Things

For the first night in recent weeks

I'm alone in the office. No squeaks

from Little Things who, of course, speak

no human language, but say"Me!"

and "Now!" in English, and a few

words that are usually written "Mew,"

But they use different words. Tones make clear

a few of their words, even to human ear.

The "quee--yew," meaning "Oh very well but we're

not comfortable with it." The "Eek!" that means

"What you did hurt." The querulous "we-e-e"

that means "I'm not feeling well," The 

"oooh" that means "Now that's a wee 

bit better." The basic kitten-speak

that humans use, too, to age two or three.  

Why aren't they in the office? All week

they've watched adult cats eat, all squeaking "Me!

If youall eat, I want to eat! Feed me!" 

Tonight, as kittens do, they began to eat

some solid food. We all knew what we'd see

next. Their mother seemed even to foresee

what they would need to know, where need

to go. For two or three days she would lead

them to the sand pit, first, and then she'd feed

and clean them, as cats do. Mornings, I'd leave

them on the porch; evenings, they'd be 

brought in, out of reach of predators' greed.

The kittens would put up their paws and plead

to be picked up and carried. "Me now! Me!"

'

This evening, after dinner, on my knees

they snuggled up and settled down to sleep, 

purring aloud in a contented heap.

"Now, kittens, you wait for your mother here,"

"Don't go!" was what they said. It came out "Eek."

I waited for the dark of night to creep

across the sky. Went out. No cats I see.

Their mother knows where they will need to be

tonight, The first time she wants them to be

observed, instructed, by cats, not by me.

Some little things we humans hear and see

let us live out Doctor Doolittle's dream.

"Miscommunication between the cat and me,"

I thought, and then: "How can that even seem

unusual? Yet, for these five weeks, we

have understood each other as if spe-

cies made no difference. Only tonight has she

surprised me." Now I say: "Quee--yew."

(Prompted by Poets & Storytellers United)