Furball the tabby cat
is a calamity
of sorts
add up his losses and you get
just about half of a cat
the tail is gone
an ear
the eye on the left
is quite blind
but he’s been
part of the institution
for years
and every so often
one of the staff
gets him trimmed up
and shaved
a slender peculiarity
that merges
into an over-sized head
like an Egyptian sphinx
quite alarming
to the uninitiated
Furball's day
is in and out of the residential units
and stalking birds
generally smaller
than the black and white ibis
that reside in the yard
it’s not a bad life
when it’s all said and done
~
Freddie was Romanian
once
way back when
migrated his aspirations
to the mental asylum
of a very small town
in Australia
and grew old there
sometimes he cries
inconsolable
just like a baby
aloud
in torn-up Romanian
or nonsense
maybe he’s not even using
the words he was born with
just voicing an anguish
only he feels
in the bedroom
his personal touch is the skeleton
of a piano accordion
the bellows are ghosts
and the buttons have sagged
deep into the frame
a long time ago
leaving just the holes
as suggestions
but it’s there
and it’s his
and maybe it brings back
the polka
da-dat-da da-dat-da da-dat-da
da-da-daddle-da-dat-da
except for what’s in his head
he’s a loner
but I couldn’t tell you
what might be happening there
~
tonight
on the medication round
I surprised him
already in bed
and I couldn’t help notice
that Freddie does not
sleep alone
before rising to face me
he tucked in and settled Furball
the cat with no ear
with no eye
lacking tail
medicine down
the two snuggled up
with a purr
in Romanian
as I turned the light out
I’m sure it was meant as
goodnight
~
-
Author:
Frank Prem (
Offline) - Published: May 14th, 2018 04:04
- Comment from author about the poem: Franks Psychiatry Pt 5 - hostel life.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 8
- Users favorite of this poem: Laura🌻, SLR
Offline)
Comments3
It is amazing what friends are around sometimes.
Yes, firm friends, at that.
Frank,
You’re definitely a word master!
The ability you have to conjure up the images that you do with your words, in this reader’s mind, are incredible!
The image you’ve conveyed for me of Freddie and Furball with your write is as clear as if I’m there seeing it with my own eyes!
An super write!
~Laura~
It's a vivid image in my own mind, still, Laura.
Delighted that it comes across to you so well.
Laura is right. I have a clear picture in my mind of the two of them. Furball especially. I'm so glad they found each other. Love this one. I've always believed that pets improve quality of life.
Furball was one mangy cat, for sure.
I think you're right that pets are beneficial in these circumstances.
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