poem of the day 07.02.10

cats

my cats pull their fur out
on hot days
and vomit everywhere

they meow endlessly at frying
morsels of meat
and take up half of my side
of the bed

they are simple
but want more love
than i am able
to give

my cats are a test
of my compassion
and humanity
and i fail every step
of the way

i swat with newspapers
and rage through rooms
scattering them

one time
i grabbed one of the cats
and thought about
tossing her
across the hallway

i had her by her neck
and her tail

but instead
i set her down
on her fraying woolen perch
then crumpled against
a window in the kitchen
to cry

full of more self-knowledge
than i ever wanted
to be burdened with.