dead cat roadtrip
The power line flossing birds that string like rows
of blackened teeth or tahitian pearls.
Tarnished square silver belt buckle clinks gently against
the blue metal fence, paint flaking.
Breathe through your mouth- this field belongs to the
deer that keep coming back.
Summer dusk in the most beautiful place you’ve ever
asked questions about.
It’s like that sometimes. Carpet of lightning bugs set
the grass on twinkling fire.
I only start feeling guilty when I start to feel confused, like
I’m losing tug of war with my heart.
I have limited interest in breakfast foods. Let’s make a
secret pact and take it to our timely graves.
7 thoughts on "dead cat roadtrip"
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Terrific! That last couplet is a slam dunk.
Perfectly written! The title is perfect. So is the end.
Just finished reading Jerry’s sweet dogs poem and the titled jolted me but drew me in anyway…glad I read on…
wow! “The power line flossing birds that string like rows
of blackened teeth or tahitian pearls.”
and:”Carpet of lightning bugs set
the grass on twinkling fire.”
Oh my goodness! This is nothing short of spectacular with all the sensory details. It’s one glorious expression after the next.
Thank you so much for sharing this poem. It has brightened my day.
I agree with Kevin about the loose iambic pentameter closing lines. Very strong. I also love the opening image.
The title confuses me. There are a lot of dead animals in the body of the poem, but no dad cat as far as I can tell.
Hi Tom! This piece was based on an evening drive I took with a friend. Along the way, we passed a poor kitty that was surrounded by vultures. The image stuck out to me- I wanted to present it alongside the poem.
So many disparate images clacking together, creating a groovy vibe! The title reminds me of Richard Brautigan 😎.