bukowski the cat

he came to the door one night wet thin beaten and terrorized a white cross-eyed tailless cat Charles Bukowski

the cat laid on its side, broken back and all,
lifted a paw and licked like nothing had happened
this was day two, maybe three, after the accident,
if it was an accident
a friend's fat old car, not looking where it was going,
backed up on my old cat and broke its back, just like that
i'd say i was pissed but i'm not sure about that
i'd know i was old and so was my old cat
so maybe i should've been there with him
under that fat old car looking for a way out
cause him and me we been here too long now
we should've left when they turned on the fm radio
or put the color in color tv
i don't like where i am today, and so does my cat
he puts on a good act, licking like he does, but
he's mad too
mad at the world for taking away most things
that made life the living hell it should be
like his balls
like my balls
his were small like marbles but they sure messed
his marbles when his sex season rolled around
mine were bigger, golf balls, maybe bigger
and they messed my marbles too but
my sex was always in season and i like that

that cat just turned over, lifted that other paw,
but there's nothing to lick
cause that broke back is more broke on that side
that cat don't learn he can't lick s**t
or whatever he's got on that fur on that side
he's my old cat and i'm old too
oh, look there, bird just landed on the telephone wire
i better let my cat know
he'd like that