Thursday, August 8, 2013

A Dreadful Bother

In honor of World Cat Day . . .
Sam thought the cats should wear sunhats while napping in the sunroom:

Beaumont

Fuqua

Pine escaped a similar fate by hiding
in the cereal cabinet, along with
the lace tablecloths & the Pillsbury Dough Boy

The Cat
Well, cat, did you find enlightenment in the Western Paradise?
You serve the Buddha well, unseen by the temple monks.
In the kitchen you hang about, while the dog gets kicked out.
You could even teach tricks to a tiger, though he still can't climb trees.
Does anyone know how to keep you out of a room,
Or to stop you from making a meal whenever you feel like it?
Truly you are a dreadful bother, but we give you a home . . .


by Vietnamese Confucian scholar, Nguyen Trai (1380 - 1442)
translated from the Vietnamese by Jess Williamson
found in The Poetical Cat: An Anthology
edited by Felicity Bast

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