THE NATURE OF LIGHT IS FEROCITY
Down
falls Mingus like Lucifer...
Claws
scream on smooth stone.
He’s
startled, yes, but, so to speak,
Plays
at fear, cat-lithe, cat-cynical.
Starts
a chain of keener panics.
Black
mynas fly. Their underwings flash
White,
jazzing the optic nerve. Babblers
Leap
to wall, to bough, their drabness
Damning
light with faint praise.
Twittering
complaints. Zombie chameleon
Legs
it for flowerpots, skitter skitter.
The
cat’s uncertain now. Tail down,
Ears
back, he lingers lightly, feigns smallness.
His
metallic eyes follow the myna's flight...
Glare
bursts in three sneezes.
–ERIC THACKER
Note:
A family reference should be explained. ‘Mingus’ is a
Siamese cat, named after an American musician.