From my series Kentucky Melodies
Modern Man on the Prowl
Modern
man
squelches
down the stairs
searching
for he knows not what.
His
eyes slowly adjust to the dark.
A
soft feeling underfoot,
a
feline yowl tells him,
"Not
fast enough!"
He
staggers into the kitchen
opens
the refrigerator, and
stands
staring into the glare.
He
lifts the block of process cheese,
each
slice wrapped so cleverly,
so
individually, and
puts
it down again.
He
removes the cap
lifts
the gallon of milk to his nose, sniffs, and
puts
it down again.
He
runs his hand through his hair,
he
scratches,
reaches
for a pop top can and pops the top.
He
sips and makes a face, and
puts
the can down again.
He
closes the door.
His
eyes begin to adjust to the dark.
Dissatisfied,
he wanders through the living room toward the stairs.
The
cat, forewarned, moves.
The
man squelches up the stairs again.
Whatever
he is looking for,
he
never finds where he is looking.
In
the dark he is looking,
never
finding in the dark whatever
he
is looking for,
dissatisfied.
The
Cat
The
cat knows better
but
he likes to sleep on the mat
at
the bottom landing of the stairs.
Every
night
he
hears the man squelching down the stairs.
Most
nights he fails to move
trusting
to dumb luck.
Most
nights he yowls and moves too late.
He
knows a lot about the man,
what
he eats, or doesn't
and
what he drinks.
Forewarned
he moves when he hears the steps
squelching
back from the kitchen.
This
nightly bit of attention
is
painful
even
if it's all he gets.
Lump
Having
missed the cat
he
squelches up the stairs.
Flicks
on the hall light
flicks
it off again
rendering
himself temporarily blind.
His
hands stretch out before him
neatly
bracketing the open door.
There
is a thud
a
muffled curse.
The
lump in the bed groans and rolls
burying
its head under the pillow.
Light
blind he stumbles
over
the corner of the bed
and
sits heavily upon its edge.
Slowly
he raises his feet and
swings
them under the covers.
He
paws for his wife
his
hand upon her rump.
She
groans and rolls
knees
defensively raised against him.
He
shrugs and stares at the ceiling
watching
black adjust to grey
as
his eyes adjust to the night.
The
Cat
The
cat seizes the opportunity
leaps
softly upon the bed
and
lays across his feet.
He
straightens a foot
propelling
the cat to the floor.
Momentarily
satisfied by this tiny cruelty
he
drifts off to sleep.
The
cat undaunted softly leaps
upon
the bed,
settling
at the feet of the other lump,
its
vibrator engine running
knowing
who will kick and who won't
and
whose feet to leap upon tomorrow night
like
last night
and
tonight.
He
knows a lot about the man
and
sleeps smirking
in
his dreams.
Dreams
The
man dreams worried dreams
hunted
dreams
dissatisfied,
while
the cat sleeps
smirking.
Modern
Man
The
cat sleeps smirking
at
the foot of the bed.
Modern
man
squelches
down the stairs again
searching
for he knows not what.
His
eyes slowly adjust to the dark.
A
figure lurks
in
the shadows
of
the turning
of
the stairs.
He
walks through it
noticing
the unwelcome coolness
a
stranglehold upon his heart
noticing
it was this feeling
that
roused him from his sleep.
He
staggers into the kitchen
opens
the refrigerator, and
stands
staring into the glare.
He
shuts the refrigerator door and
staggers
into the den
snaps
on the tv
staggers
back into the kitchen
gets
the whole wheat
high
fiber
o
so healthy crackers and
the
pot of sugarless
naturally
sweetened
o
so healthy jam
staggers
back to the tv.
Someone
is watching
over
his shoulder
watching
hating approving
flip flip
flip flip flop
channel channel
channel
charnal charnel
carnal charon
the
boatman poles across the waters.
Four
o so healthy crackers
the
pot of jam is finished.
Modern
man scratches,
snaps
off the tv.
His
eyes adjust to the dark.
Dissatisfied,
he wanders through the living room
squelches
up the stairs again.
On
the turning of the stairs
no
shadow lurks
but
nestles lurking elsewhere.
Dimly
he perceives discomfit
and
rummages through the medicine chest.
Plop,
plop, fizz, fizz.
Whatever
he is looking for,
he
never finds where he is looking.
In
the dark he is looking,
never
finding in the dark whatever
he
is looking for,
dissatisfied.
He
stumbles
over
the corner of the bed, and
sits
heavily upon its edge.
Slowly
he raises his feet and
swings
them under the covers.
The
cat stops smirking
slides
quietly to the floor and
heads
for the landing
where
it sleeps
dissatisfied.
Brimstone
Acrid
it tingles
at
the back of the nose
rasping
the throat.
Learn
to recognize
the
smell of brimstone.
The
Cat Watched
Golden
eyed
the
cat watched
as
the man pulled on his socks
first
one foot and
then
the other.
The
cat smiled
in
a superior way
knowing
his
own fur muffed feet
never
needed
changing.
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