Anna Weaver
NOT ANOTHER CAT POEM
This is not another cat poem
and it’s not about death, although it’s true
the cat died last Friday. It’s also not
about divorce, which might be a surprise.
No, this poem will be about something new,
so new I have not yet seen it. Oregon,
maybe. Or the Northern Lights.
Or Mt. Lemmon in Tucson. I’ll find someone
who’s seen those things and tease this poem
out of him. He’ll insist I try the blueberry pie
at the Mt. Lemmon Cafe, where the waitress
will say, with practiced bemusement,
“Do you want that a la mode or all alone?”
And I will work her into every story I tell
about Tucson—right after I tell about the saguaro,
the way they look so huggable until you get up close.
He will go on to marry someone else, that man,
and I will tell my Tucson story at his wedding
and hug his new wife like a saguaro.
That’s how I know this isn’t a divorce
poem. And they will be dog people,
which rules out the cat. And I will write
this poem quickly, before any of us
has a chance to die.
Author’s Comment: When my 17-year-old cat died, I was amazed at how many memories he was part of—two serious boyfriends, three cross-country moves, a marriage, a divorce, other events large and small. Looking forward, I knew that everything I did from then on, I would do without him. Perhaps most important, I also knew that the world did not need—well, not from me at least—another cat poem. So I didn’t write one.
Wild Goose Poetry Review 
Wonderful poem with a fabulous “killer” ending…with empathy from a cat parent who lost hers after 20 companionable feline years.
Thank you so much! 20 years is a long relationship, indeed. My heart to yours…
I wonder if he might also tell you about the weather on Mt Lemon and the steep, round drive that takes you from Arizona to Canada in 50 minutes. And if he might argue that Mt Lemon itself is a dog person. Everywhere on the streets, in shops, on leashes tied to poles, there are dogs on Mt Lemon. And even the dogs eat pie on Mt Lemon all alone.
I love everything about that comment, Alison!
Enjoyed this clever, clever, clever poem!
Strong poem. I really enjoyed reading this.
Thank you both!
I love what you guys tend to be up too. Such clever work and exposure keeps me reading!
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