A poem is when every line starts with a capital letter and doesn't reach the end of the page. –Anonymous
In the hurried city Around the lightning-struck oak There lived Jonathan Cat
He traded that what he wanted for that what he didn't want And that what he didn't want for that what he didn't want And that what he didn't want for that what he wanted That is all he did
Jonathan Cat didn't catch fish, yet he always had many to eat Jonathan Cat didn't travel far, yet he had a beautiful territory Better than that of his parents Jonathan Cat did not dig or build, yet he had a comfortable home
He got all this by trading No-one could understand how No-one but his own children
And the people became jealous And they told terrible rumors, untrue rumors They said to one another “No-one could get that rich off of just trading, could they? I mean, the whole point is that you gotta give the other person something they want, so...I dunno...I think he just stole some of that stuff.” And “Ever notice how his wife acts kind of skittish around him? Like she's scared, but she doesn't want anyone to know it. And sometimes when she turns a certain way you can see scratch marks on her back. Like, normally they're hidden under her fur.”
Jonathan Cat was not hurt by the rumors The terrible rumors, the untrue rumors
For Jonathan Cat had many fish to eat For Jonathan Cat had a beautiful territory For Jonathan Cat had a comfortable home For Jonathan Cat had a black-haired wife, and they made each other happy
In her first litter she bore him three kits, two sons and a daughter The daughter she named Margret The one son she named Timothy The other son she named Lewis
Margret could not please her father, could not make him proud But Lewis came and swept the clouds from her heart
When she married she changed her name She never told her family what she changed it to When she married she moved in with her husband She never told her family where he lived
Timothy could not please his father, could not make him proud But Lewis came and swept the clouds from his heart
Timothy became a trader He traded that which he didn't want for catnip And catnip for that which he wanted
Then Timothy Cat was not hurt by hearing He could not please his father, could not make him proud
For Timothy Cat had many fish to eat For Timothy Cat had a beautiful territory For Timothy Cat had a comfortable home For Timothy Cat had friends to tell him “Nobody cares about your ^%*&#@ dad. I mean, you do, but nobody here does. I mean, you know what I mean. Anyone who doesn't like you aught to have their head examined.”
Lewis could not please his father, could not make him proud So he painted a false smile upon his face
Lewis became a doctor Perhaps he could have made his father proud with this: To only treat the wealthy and charge them half their wealth But this Lewis refused, his heart would not allow it
And as it went with these three The later children of Jonathan Cat fared similarly All save for Janet, who married Hector Kithro
In the market place Lewis met Kit Marican She was short, but she could jump high Her eyes were the color of newly sprouted leaves And he could see she could run fast, for she was being chased by mafia goons
When they had found a place to hide together, Kit told Lewis of her troubles “My dad's a mechanic. So these guys came to our shop and started demanding we give them forty shells of food every week. We went to the police, but they didn't do anything. I mean, they tried lots of things but they couldn't catch the mob guys and then they wrecked some of dad's stuff – I mean the mob did, not the cops – and we started making the payment. But this time we didn't have enough food and that's why they're after me.”
Then Kit kept herself hidden But Lewis searched the market place
At the east side he saw cheese and human things At the north side he saw kittens and cubs playing At the west side he saw a small stream At the south side he saw the mafia goons
Lewis pounced on them, and scratched at them Lewis followed them when they ran
They ran through the small stream They ran over the hill with the pebbles They ran along a grass-covered ditch And they ran through a strange and bare place
There a strange plant grew, a grass tall as a bear, in perfect straight lines No other plants grew there, no birdsong was heard No other living things could be seen
The mafia goons ran into a giant hut It was long as a fallen tree and tall as a bird's nest The sides were made of flat wood There their leaders plotted and schemed
Then Lewis came in and made his demands “Stay away from Kit Marican's family!”
“Uh...why would we do that?”
Lewis pounced on them, and scratched at them He grabbed them by the back of the neck Then the mafia thought they should do as Lewis said Until, not knowing the place, he fell through the floor
“OK, how's this for a deal. If you come work with us we'll keep taking food from the Marican's like we always have. If you don't we'll go down to their place and smash everything, and then we'll maul your dear Kit, and then you can just stay in this hole till you starve. Got that?”
Then Lewis though he should do as the mafia said Until the police came in as he had They had seen the fight in the market place Soon the whole mafia was arrested
In the quiet town Half a mile from the small cave There Kit and Lewis were married
Some days they only had plants to eat In the late summer their territory was bare When it rained their home was soaked But they thought they made each other happy
In her first litter she bore him four kits, two boys and two girls The daughters they named Lina and Jane The sons they named Thomas and Samuel
Lina was named after Lewis' mother, because it was her father's mother's name Jane was named after Kit's mother, because it was her mother's mother's name Thomas was named after Kit's father, because it was his mother's father's name Samuel was named after no-one in particular, because his parents liked the sound of that name
The government soured, the police became corrupt But Lewis Cat refused to see it Because of the day when they had saved him The day long ago when the mafia was arrested
As the government kept turning into thieves Filling their bellies, leaving orphans empty The people grew angry
Then up stood Jordan Clearwater A hare with shining eyes He led the people against the thieves Thomas Cat left to join him
Thomas Cat had learned medicine, the profession of his father He healed the revolution's wounded He healed their captive enemies Jordan Clearwater was well pleased with him
Then Thomas himself was injured, Thomas himself was captured The government called on Lewis, he was called on to treat his son It was the first time they'd spoken that year They had not seen each other since Thomas left
Thomas could not please his father, could not make him proud The blow hurt but it healed quickly For Thomas knew he had already saved lives
Perhaps he could have pleased his father with this: To abandon the revolution and no longer treat his comrades But this Thomas refused, his heart would not allow it
Thomas was taken to an underground jail The tunnels were narrow as a mouse's tail They went down as far as a maple's roots All the prisoners were innocent people
Thomas rallied the prisoners They turned against their captors And everyone escaped
Then Lewis' eyes were opened For he had failed his children He climbed the tallest tree around When he reached the top he threw himself down
But when he hit the ground he didn't die, he didn't break a bone Then Lewis wiped the false smile from his face He placed no curtains between his soul and his eyes Together with Kit he fled the country
Thomas cat had a daughter, a molly named Meredith Meredith caught fish, but she didn't have many to eat Meredith traveled far, but she didn't have a territory Meredith dug and built, but she didn't have a permanent home For Meredith had a strange sense of priorities
On her travels Meredith met a lady A cat five years her senior She said her name was Kit
She was short, but she could jump high Her eyes were the color of newly sprouted leaves None of this was familiar to Meredith
One day as they were speaking, making conversation as friends Meredith told this story “When I was a kitten my dad would have us...well, when it was autumn he'd have us gather all the light-colored leaves and stick them back on the trees and try to make them look like flowers. And then people were like 'Oh, Doctor Cat is making his territory look tacky again', but the thing is it was really fun to do.”
“Wait, did you just say your father was a doctor?”
“Yeah, I know it's kind of a weird job for cats...”
“No, it's not that, but my husband's also a doctor, and his surname is also Cat.”
More words were spoken, more knowledge was exchanged Until Kit said “I think I'm your grandmother.”
Soon Lewis and Kit were reunited with their son And with his wife and their other children The family was made whole again, the old mistake was righted
And they accepted each other And they loved each other And they made each other happy
This work was written for Lewis and Thomas, and for their big hearts But also for Meredith and her strange sense of priorities