Inventory of distractions/ amusements

green felted ball
fillable pink 'peanut' (previously misidentified and accidentally waylaid as baby toy)
wooly feather tailed parrot
catnip infused: tomato; fish; smaller fish; rainbow; pillow; banana; cigar
fibre optic-like finger trap thingie
coil spring
newspaper
tea towel
crinkly foil bits

the Frente feline cache

Pop rocks

sleet
in these slippery times
a glisten and gleaming sheen
out on the street with
 'natural pet safe ice melter'
and in moments after seeding the sidewalk
little cracks and snaps
like the pebble tongue candy
that we later learned was all just basically a clever way of rendering
baking soda
for a nanosecond i was tempted to pop some crystals on my tongue
anticipating the sensation
And then was cast back into semi sensible adulthood

Shroud

tonight there is a lovely tinkling
drops
beads
freezing rain on sidewalks
rooftops
ebbing January
the first robin of the year
on the boughs of the dogwood
the tink tink tinkling of rain
falling freezing not quite snow
makes me think of the moment when a glass falls
suspended in mid air
flash frozen
if only we could reach out
catch it
react in time
move in the moment
waves waves waves

Last night's dream

Driving in a car with my friend in what felt like a national park
She said 'you need to choose your totem tree'
So I did and she said 'no not that one...
You likely chose it because your focus followed the cut line'
So I said 'okay, let's drive on'
And we did
I saw another tree in the distance
Old growth, huge, like a Redwood
And I said 'that one!'
Just then, the tree came crashing down in the distance far on the road ahead
The fallen tree then surged towards us on the highway
Feverish pursuit roots and all
My friend put the car in reverse and we raced backwards to escape the menacing tree
That's how this Tuesday started for me
More than a little barking

Nomenclature

years ago a friend of mine
a talented improviser, comic and writer
observed how weird it was
that when odd news stories were reported
there was often a correspondingly odd correlation
between the subjects featured in the stories
and their surnames
so, for example a man who had been the mastermind
of a pricey forgery scam might be named
David Rob
or that a victim of rising waters would be identified as
Natalie Flood
yesterday there was a story on the news about ice damage
attributed to rising warm air, accumulations of ice
and ensuing melting in attics
as explained by insulation expert
Steve Squirrel
case closed

This Box Contains Safety Film

Guarantee Expires AUG 1934
In case of complaint for any reason please
return this slip with sample films both used
and unused to your dealer or direct to
General Electric
X- Ray Corporation
***
this box now contains
remnants of a wasp's nest
wings
stingers
resonant
lovingly
electric

Drop by drop

It's raining tonight
Hearing on the roof
The eaves
The leaves
It's raining tonight
Wishing it south of here and all places
In drought
It's raining tonight and I love
The sound of rain
The smell of rain
The little caress of rain
It all falls down