the old cat
sniffs and paws
its photograph
Published by
Matt Zambito
Matt Zambito, originally from Ransomville, New York, currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. His haiku and senryu have appeared in Frogpond, Snapshots, paper wasp, bottle rockets, and Modern Haiku. He is the drummer for Cropchecker.
View all posts by Matt Zambito
at the pool
my life guards flirting,
from their high chairs
from those days back when we thought
rock & roll could save the world…
flat broke…
we smoke the last
of the catnip toy
september 23, 1970
Night barks;
I turn in
a hard bed.
caressing faded photo,
steadied wrinkled hand –
widower
the fastest cat
in the west—
Billy the kitten
Fuzzy, yellow Fred
leaves fuzzy, yellow calling cards
everywhere.
bite marks in the photo
he likes the smell
of the photo paper
clavicles
scourge and subtext
tigers licking their feet
Haiku from Albania:
Heartache with its eyes down.
The weight of shame
melting the stone.
old cat
in a daze
amid new cats
ice storm…
squirrel after squirrel
crosses the telephone wire
A young girl’s dreams fade with morning light
She pins back her grey hair –
Who is that woman in the mirror?
d.d. swartz, great piece, reminds me of mirror images i strain to see
–
faded morning sight–
in the mirror
this grey-haired man