The Hawk Queen Bed 4:00pm
Oh Cat, My Cat
with the lemon-green eyes
the colour of Our Sheets
You are here
in this restful room
shaded to the sickness
it supports
I have You curled
at the end of the bed
in the afternoon soliloquy of fever
Oh My Cat
I Love You
The Tomato-coloured Couch 4:15pm
Every September after Labour Day
Our Pets
recognized the smell of Rockland County
by lifting Their Noses to the humid air
crossing the Tapanzee Bridge
happy to be coming back
to Their Most Familiar Grounds
overgrown with dried leaves
and neglect —
They couldn’t be aware
of Our Mother’s apprehensions
for a house vacated by summer tenants:
She usually said
“The House isn’t too bad”
but complained about the yard
while I adjusted to sleeping
in the dark dense air
of My School Year Room
Mumbo, are You Out There
in Those Bushes?
are You alive or
are You dead?
Will The Gulls & Crows
leave You alone?
Mumbo, are You gone —
no more Mumbolette
with The Big Feet?
Hi My name
Mombo the cat. I am
a very nice cat. I
love kids.
bye-bye
Joanna Gilman Hyde 