Plea from a Cat Named Virtute

Why don't you ever want to play

I'm tired of this piece of string

You sleep as much as I do now

And you don't eat much of anything

I don't know who you're talking to

I made a search through every room

But all I found was dust that moved

In shadows of the afternoon

And listen

About those bitter songs you sing

They're not helping anything

They won't make you strong

So, we should open up the house

Invite the tabby two doors down

You could ask your sister

If she doesn't bring her Basset Hound

Ask the things you shouldn't miss

Tape hiss and the Modern Man

The Cold War and Card Catalogues

To come and join us if they can

For girly drinks and parlor games

We'll pass around the easy lie

Of absolutely no regrets

And later maybe you could try

To let your losses dangle off

The sharp edge of a century

We'll talk about the weather

Or how the weather used to be

And I'll cater with all the birds that I can kill

Let their tiny feathers fill disappointment

Lie down, lick the sorrow from your skin

Scratch the terror and begin

To believe you're strong

All you ever want to do is drink and watch TV

And frankly that thing doesn't really interest me

I swear I'm going to bite you hard and taste your tinny blood

If you don't stop the self-defeating lies

You've been repeating since the day you brought me home

I know you're strong