Night And Day

If looks could kill
I'd be dead a thousand times over.

He's watching the outside now
and jealousy rears its head
again with eyes and ears on full alert
from the sameness of the INSIDE
he's watching the other one
fulfill a leisurely pace, they're
peering through glass doors
at each other, then a stretch
and another look over the shoulder
before replaying full relaxation...

We call this one
"screaming white south Jersey fox"
for the times he opens his mouth
in protest, the noise is relentless
as if he carries intricate conversation
with himself that he alone can
understand; it's a wonder how even
he can hear himself think
of what to say to us next.

It's a bright sunny day on the balcony
and the lucky one has found laziness
enough to sleep and dream
of four rats in a coconut boat, maybe
a hairless one lounging in a hammock.

Pity, just moments before
there was a question of integrity
and talk of impending upset
when that self same fat cat
pounced on an unstable table
for want of a treat. You know...
he's been searching high and
low for those things, they appear
as if by some magic rain inside
the house.