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Big Cats and Big Winds
by Ken HarnischHe’s ten years old
And nearly 20 pounds
In man years, that makes him seventy
And on his way, we’re told,
To quick decrepitude
Then I watch him, three, four times
A day, bending his haunches and leaping
From the dining room table to the island in
The middle of the kitchen
So e
f
f
o
r
t
l
e
s
s
l
y
And I begin to think
Maybe the experts don’t know everything
And that everything we take for granted
May have to be looked upon anew
You know, like that old saw
About Category 1 hurricanes
Causing only minor damage
And if they’re wrong about
Big cats and big winds
Well, hell, maybe
There might be something else
They’ve had us believing
For way too long.
11/08/2012 Author's Note: To Alex and Sandy, who individually and collectively taught this life veteran to re-open his jaundiced eyes.
Posted on 11/08/2012
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 11/09/12 at 12:27 AM We all need constantly to take a second look at everything in life Ken. None of us do it often enough. It may just save our life some day. |
| Posted by Alison McKenzie on 11/09/12 at 12:26 PM I like it, Ken! The eye opening, and the big cat!!! |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 11/09/12 at 09:41 PM Great, great piece, as always. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 11/09/12 at 11:14 PM Cats defy gravity constantly. 20 lbs is a hefty weight to lift off. :) I like where you take this, discarding conventional "wisdom" for years of real observation. |
| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 11/10/12 at 02:16 PM analogy supreme
effortlessly I see this cat
poem admiration, here |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 12/11/12 at 02:47 PM Ah! Man I love this. Sometimes I wonder if homo sepiens is even teachable. Maybe we aren't really ready to learn from the feline master until we are too old to leap. Thanks for this fun and awakening poem, Ken. |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 01/20/13 at 11:35 PM Excellent reminder that there are always exceptions to the rule Ken, and that maybe you can teach an old cat like me new tricks. :o) |
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