4 Comments
May 28, 2020Liked by Marlee Jane Ward

How to tell Your daughter when her cat dies  

It is the duty of a parent

to keep the cat after your daughter departs childhood. The cat remains, beloved placeholder.  

When the cat dies, you will tell

your daughter that cat had a good life.  

It travelled far as cats do. Matthew Flinders’ cat for instance, went to sea.

You will Tell your daughter of the night

the cat defended her territory

Against a midnight Tom,

Some tales will not be told. Poe’s cat

that ended in a wall, Mr Bloom's cat

that brushed against her master's

pants with an indescribable meow.

You will Tell your daughter her cat,

That furry emissary of time,

padded into dreams and stories,

ruled a kingdom of lizards.  

You will tell her once upon a time

She saw a cat on a fence,  

echo of this cat that died.  You saw

what no one else could, you’ll say.

You will tell your daughter cats

do not have nine lives,  just one

shifty one, defying human concepts

of space and time.  

You will tell your daughter cats float

over the lines we draw as lightly

as they surmount a neighbours fence to torment the earth bound dog.  

You will tell your daughter maybe

there is something cats could teach, If only our heads were not so mad

with thinking.  

You will tell your daughter

Life and love have no bounds.  

Because you know that she knows  

that one day, You will go, too.

Isobelle carmody

Expand full comment