Compatriots - Shakespeare's Monkeys

compatriots

The chipmunk in my kitchen and I
are becoming friends,
or perhaps compatriots is a better word.

my cat lies in a soft window bed
dining on sunshine and bird songs
with her closed eyes.
my old dog, on the couch watches
but has seen too many small things
come and go
to be interested,
she yawns and moves to the carpet
in front of the fireplace.

my friend and I regard each other
I at my desk, he on my floor
after a few minutes of a silent exchange of ideas
he rounds the cupboards to the dog food dish
fills his cheeks, and returns to regard me once more
I imagine we exchange thoughts
of the upcoming winter
hot honeyed tea
the colour of the leaves
the darkening cold days.
his thoughts he keeps to himself.

I move the dog dish
thinking this was not the best nutrition
for a small rodent, and place shelled peanuts
on my kitchen floor.
he re-emerges quite serious
looking from me to the peanuts
which ultimately he rejects and goes off in search of more dog food.

Perhaps I'll try raisins or pecans next

Alcuin of York -

It sounds like the Callooh Zoo! (Do you charge admission? - I mean to people.) You must truly like animals. Where does the chipmunk actually reside when it's not eating?

It's a bit wordy, more like prose than poetry really, but it paints the scene very effectively. Reading it makes the depiction feel very homey, and very much like the autumn. I liked the "dining on sunshine" line the best.

Alcuin

Callooh -

Alcuin of York:

Actually it IS a zoo (2 cats, 2 dogs, gerbils, rats, fish, and children are domesticated residents - mostly domesticated anyway). Normally I feed the chipmunks and squirrels etc OUTside. I truly love animals (including my children). I give animal magnitism a whole new twist.

Maybe I sould put in prose form... perhaps the line breaks are too jaring -- thanks very much!

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Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG. Zoom-Boing. Z'nourrwringmm

Pags -

Make it a prose poem, I think. Maybe tighten up the words to make it more poetry. I love the images you draw - eg the cameo of the dog's reaction.

The chipmunk is an omnivore. It prefers seeds, nuts, and acorns, as well as fruits or berries; but it also eats slugs, insects, spiders, nestling birds, eggs, and occasionally mice or small snakes, according to the internet. Dogs are also omnivores so dog food in moderation should really not be a problem. (In fact reading the above by dog will eat everything on te list except snakes (never had the opportunity) and acorns (too hard to bother with) She LOVES slugs - very handy in a damp climate but quite disgusting to see.