A cold dawn creeps, pale and dead,
I swing from a tree filled with dread.
I rise so fast, I chase the scream,
Lost in a grim and fierce dream.
The wind claws at my hair fast,
I grip the ropes, I gasp at the blast.
Up high I shoot, to pierce the sky,
Where black crows screech, then fly.
The sun sinks down, a red streak bleeds,
Night hunts the yard with dark deeds.
White stars flash out like sharp sparks,
I hide in bed and brave the dark.
How can a cloud be made up of paint that doesn’t splatter?
It’s like someone took gross mustard and smeared it to make that hill in the background.
I don’t get how a painting can have a pond like that.
It just looks fish-less, nothing under there.
If I got so mad that I tore this painting in half?
There would be an obvious tear of anger.
Then you savor the energy.
Continue, slosh.
With paint like grated cheese turning liquid.
Everyone knows your paintbrush wasn’t washed enough.
Everyone can hear you grumbling and grimacing that you’re hungry!
The howl of two paintings.
Have you ever let your paintbrush be alive?
I hear canvas holds onto the old grit from your claws.
There’s an animal park
A half-hour away
Where we went, for the first time,
With Henry today.
I was skeptical, but
It was worth what we paid,
For meandering paths
Lined with trees giving shade,
Led to animals you’d
Not expect to be there.
There were lions and tigers
And more than one bear.
We saw tortoises, emus
And gators and skinks,
Ponies, monkeys, giraffes
And chinchillas (no minks).
Varied tropical birds,
Porcupines, foxes, sheep,
Pumas, jaguars and vultures,
With many asleep.
Still, we strolled and enjoyed
Creatures far from each lair,
Likely wondering how
They had ended up there.
Grab a crab, nab a snack.
Crack a claw, smack a stack!
Mayo mellow, a silky spread.
Ham piled high on crusty bread.
Salad stacked, crisp and bright.
Every mouthful is pure delight.
Best darn sandwich you've ever seen.
Packed with pickles fresh and green.
Watch them crab claws — They're set to go!
Grab too late? — You'll know your woe!
Toasted, roasted, golden brown.
Best darn snack in town, hands down.
Crunch and munch, chew with cheer,
Grab another while you're here!
Hands have fingers; crabs have claws.
Both love lunches—that's the cause!
Faces has smiles; claws have jaws!
So grab a crab and catch a snack.
Smack your lips and whack it back!
Oh, cat, your stealth denies your claws
Subtle hum of resting warmth
Purring in whiskered dreams
A twitch of claw to gently say
“stay seated” the moon is slow tonight
That subtle mew demanding it is time
For I must hunt beneath the grey of moon
Sunrise reveals the trophy at the door
As I slide slyly through your legs
To sleep as darkness haunts my dreams
Nimbus storm clouds opened above my roof
No thunder, just a meow and a woof
Raining down were canine paws
and kitties with scratching claws
A glitch in Mother Nature caused the goof
I never met a cat
That I didn't like
Until I met the terror
Who goes by the name of Mike
He's a walking tornado
Storms follow him everywhere
He thinks it's funny
Tearing up my favorite chair
I had to replace the cushions
And repair the wood
It's not a scratching post
I don't think he understood
He runs around the living room
Like it's a race track
Knocking over flower pots
Oh my aching back
He's not an ordinary cat
He has a furry mane
Please somebody help me
Before I go insane
I tried to be his friend
But all he does is hiss
How much longer
Am I going to put up with this
He used to be such a sweet kitten
When he was first born
Now look at his claws
And how much he has torn
I would call the nearest zoo
But I can't reach the phone
My sweet little kitten
Thinks I'm a giant bone
My kitten's four paws
Hide claws in his feet.
If his feet are on pause,
He is soundly asleep.
If he then starts to purr
In a deep warm soft rumble,
His engine is idling,
Ready for trouble.
Beware dear mousey
cat D is stalking
primed to pounce
and visit devastation
upon your nest
of velvet down.
I've plinthed my claws;
a linen napkin
is coiled
round my neck
to mop red gravy
and sumptuous fat
when they dye
my twitching whiskers.
So, nestle close
little mouselings
make haste to scurry!
On meow buses
no cat fusses.
Sweet little kitties
meow rodent ditties;
deck out bunting
time for hunting.
With pounding paws
furries prime claws.
Amid glad rasping
there is no fasting.
My soul flew without its wings,
My cry pierced the breathless silence.
Humans were drunk with sleep;
only my feline foe roamed the yard.
She silently approached where I perched,
my instinct pecked the scent of danger.
I thought I could fly to the sky to kiss the stars,
beyond the cat whose stomach howled with hunger.
Alas, the cage fell.
All I could see was a hungry feline gaze;
her pupils brightened and shone like a partly broken incandescence.
She meowed, and its hunger stared at me menacingly.
Then she leapt, her claws wrapping round my wings;
she sank her canines and my throat quivered.
My blood soaked her thirst and satiated her hunger—
and my soul slowly flew out without its wings.
A CURIOSITY THAT CLAWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
inspiration isn’t grand~
no thunderclap or blinding light,
just a persistent drip.
it is the chipped teacup
holding the ghost of chamomile,
a forgotten kindness or a whispered word.
it is the stubborn green shoot
pushing through cracked concrete,
the resilience of dandelions in a world paved over.
it is a voice that will not be quieted,
a hunger that gnaws, a curiosity that claws
to which I surrender.
I let the words fall, unpolished and raw,
a clumsy offering to the altar of living,
to the boundless beauty of creating.
In spring we come out to see life,
out from our long cold winter's nap.
Bears are so loving not wildlife.
Love can be grand.
I am your big fun bear asap,
you are my fury playful wife,
I love to see you in gift-wrap.
Tonight we need some fun nightlife,
eating fish not from a flytrap,
using my big claws not a knife,
Love can be grand.
Depression
Its darkness.
A cold embrace,
An old friend.
It welcomes me,
like a lighthouse after a tragic storm.
I feel her claws like a deceiving caress
Her words drown me in blanket of numbness
Bitterness maws at me like a rabid wolf
I sleep
I eat
I sleep again.
Praying she doesn’t invade my dreams.
Too late.
Grades drop faster than silence after I tell someone I’m struggling.
“But you’re so happy?”
The mask I wear effective.
So effective I can’t breathe.
I’m strangled.
Ambition is an estranged family member
She doesn’t call. She doesn’t care.
I feel the optimism leave me like a dog let off a leash
The motivation drain from me like blood by a leech
I drown
I drown
I drown
And everyone is none the wiser
Depression is a mistress
Sneaky and seductive
And I,
I am her forbidden lover.
Many people think depression is just long term sadness.
"It's just a phase that will be over soon"
They don't know how actions affect people
Anxiety and Depression are a deadly combination.
A deadly concoction of fear that feeds into sadness
Diminishing all hope.
The Anxiety claws at your throat, The Depression brings tears.
So please, for gods sake don't ask someone who is clearly depressed to just "Be happy"
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