--- Cats and Dogs ---

Who are the higher life forms?

Every morn when daylight breaks,

coffee's waft stirs me to wake.

I pour a cup and watch the news,

and ruminate on different views.

With wagging tail, my dog butts in.

She licks my face, from brow to chin.

"Good morning friend," she seems to say,

then wakes the cat so they can play.

As furry pals enjoy their play,

I watch to see what's news today.

While people kill for barren land,

where nothing grows in rocks and sand

I glance into the room next door,

where cat and dog romp on the floor.

The dog and cat are best of friends,

but human conflict never ends.

The question then, that always burns,

"Is why can't humans ever learn?"

Reviews

[Michelle Ross]

Wow! That was not expected at all. Here I thought it was going to be a cute little poem about cats and dogs and then Wham! I get hit right between the eyes with something more profound. Very well done! I like how you describe the way the dog and cat like to play. I have two cats and morning seems to be their play time. Anyway, I thouroghly enjoyed this poem.

[TL Boehm]

Oh. This is delightful.

[Doreen]

You've brought a smile to my face on an otherwise dreary day. Thank you. :) This is so fun. I loved reading it. And you make a very valid point! Great write.

[RDOriginal]

Like other reviewers here I was also lulled into a false sense of security by the way that this poem began. Ignoring the final stanza this is a cute poem and the reader is left to perhaps reflect on the stark reality of the sixth stanza in comparison to the upbeat and cheery tone of the others. However, by driving the point home very forcilbly in the final stanza you have effectively forced the issue on the reader - a brave move but this has really worked because by this point we can relate to the narrators life and it doesn't seem like an imposition. A very enjoyable poem.

[holly]

Cats and dogs don't have religion (as far as we can tell). If they did, and were able to sneer at each others' idea of God we'd be knee-high in canine and feline corpses. Of course, your protagonists DO share a god: you. Though for the cat, any pronouncements from god are just mild suggestions even when accompanied by threats. Thanks for a somewhat light-hearted commentary on the human condition.

[Brianna Brie]

Great work! You caught us with our guard down. Slipped us humor and then delivered powerful lines. :)

My question friend, is quite concise
"Why can't we humans play as nice?"

[Tina Kline]

This is wonderful and asks a really good question. Love it.

[mirui]

I love the meaning that you placed in this poem.

[SM Davis]

YOU BETCHA THERE CREEPS! I too have cats and dogs and have many times wondered the same thing. Humans are the most vicious...although there is a food chain among animals, I find still even the utmost respect even after the feed. Animals only attack when they are hungry! Humans, women especially, seem to attack with no rhyme or reason.

[Stephanie]

Wow! I didn't think this was going to be about how humans don't play well together... But it was absolutely amazing. Cats and dogs are supposed to hate each other but get along perfectly, while humans are creating wars because they don't agree with one another. Excellent write :)

[Linda Stinson]

I can almost see the visual, "cats and dogs living together, mass histeria." To quote a famous movie, "Ghostbusters." You ask why we humans can't play so nice together? This is why, we are living together. We were made, each after his own kind, but then threw together with a rule book. Not everyone reads the rule book.