the cat’s pause

the cat’s pause

reading a book of poetry 

the cat’s tail swipes me 

this or swipes me that or

swipes me that one stanza 

before my hypnot-eyes

and now and then it starts again 

and so it goes this rhyme this time

this swish this swot to stop and

stop stop and look and read on

rueing her unruly bookmark tail 

until she sort of sleeps and

sort of purrs and i dare turn a page

or repeat a line until it arrives well-

drilled by the ratchet of the cat its

tail in good time and

it is a good line  

there you see

but i am never too sure 

if she’s talking to me

reading my book of poetry