a third place
brimming with
burlap sacks
an indoor jungle gym
couches
bunches of catnip
a fireplace
scratching posts
bookshelves
litter boxes
windows that let in plenty of light
toys
hand-trimmed wood mouldings
hammocks
a ceiling bright in colour
light-hearted in mood
mirrors
a set of tableaux
full of wit
(a testament to the
skilled fools who built it)
and a raffish crew of sages
that make teatime
eccentric
two tabbies
one blind
one charged in expression
one white
with a cleft lip and pieces missing
from his cauliflower ears
one tortoise-shell
who takes naps on the fridge
two ginger and white
who are brother
and sister
one black and white
with vaudevillian whiskers
one black
with a portly figure and
bette davis eyes
a room of impromptu cuddles
allegory of the power of silence
virtue and nobility
this is not another cute pet poem
mellowed by indolence
it’s a panegyric
on perfect listeners
an overture to
the intrigues of a fraternity
that has developed aloofness
into a fine art
a few grains of truth
were concealed
in these notes on yearning
but only a set of pure eyes
will be able to spot them
---
Raphael d’Abdon was born in
Udine (Friuli) and lives in Pretoria (South Africa). He is the author of three
poetry collections, sunnyside nightwalk
(Geko, 2013), salt water (Poetree
Publishing, 2016) and the bitter herb
(The Poets Printery, 2018), and the editor of the volumes I nostri semi – Peo tsa rona.
Poeti sudafricani del post-apartheid (Mangrovie, 2008), and Marikana. A Moment in Time (Geko, 2013).
His poems are published in various journals, magazines and anthologies, and he
performs regularly in South Africa and internationally.
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