RHEA MANLEY
Ailurophilia
It’s the way how Nancy came in
from the back, into the kitchen
how our eyes made four
as she advanced
how I jumped on the counter, bawled out Maya!
a cat is coming and she is not afraid.
How Maya put sardine-oiled bread out
which Nancy ate up quick
how we prompted the neighbourhood chat, Your cat?
as she seemed friendly, and Jon scathed Yours now, it seems.
how we let her inside after treating her fleas,
how she seemed to put weight on with nice life
to become imperious at the sight of a shut door
as if imagining we hid something special
and then stowed her kittens in cupboard crannies.
Mummy dubbed her fierce for she defended them
from toms. She seemed to be going mad,
shutting herself in, burying her waste in receipt piles
and we neutered her because, shit,
nobody was taking the kittens they’d claimed and four was enough.
How they pawed her stitches, still wanting
milk and she lost her patience.
How Leroy would look at us affronted
when we tried them on canned chow
would find a vile crawling thing to devour
as though saying see food here.
How Wendy nearly never make it, no breath for minutes
and to this day she can’t meow normal
how at first Alpha’s balls never drop and for a while
we thought what a brave girl, but you know, that story kinda normal,
for the other day I heard of a cat who became Mister
Sharon upon a similar discovery
how I started to watch cat
how my man at the time sour
him face to say puss carry spirit
and I couldn’t argue, as I see Wendy watching blank walls already
how Alpha stop tek talk
when him and Nancy stop size
how he couldn’t hunt, would steal prey and gloat;
how he and Leroy started to move close
how one night Leroy came home alone
Alpha, lost for days, returned with no tail
locked in the bathroom for his healing,
as I marked Twelfth Night essays, I heard Malvolio in him.
but once the man get better
he run up in the neighbour trap.
we figured…so him stay,
and I said, Cho, he soon come back
Maya never thought so, did up a flyer
in a private message, a neighbour answered
how we thought she could just pick him up
and JSPCA adoptions said whoops, you outta luck.
Man Killed in Alleged Bird Shooting Accident, Hotelier Questioned
once again that passive voice reportage
[that] [t]he deceased Anthonio Davis 38.
a wood carver of Carey Park Trelawny
was accidentally shot
after [prominent hotel] executive
‘s firearm went off prematurely as he
took aim to fire at a bird
the comment section hazards
who might the article name
with roles reversed
indeed. who signs off on our
Aaaaaaaaaapermits
Aaaaaaaaaaassessments
