Idles away the empty hours
Being flattened by frozen elephants.
They didn't like the Alps
All that much,
So if they toss him on their tusks,
It's all good and well.
Paybacks are a bitch
For Hannibal in Hell.
Look at me!
I have come back as a cat,
And I don't care
Don't care
Don't care.
Go to work, get out of my hair;
You can trust your brand new drapes to me.
I am unconcerned as unconcerned can be,
And though I used to love you,
Now I just can't tell.
Paybacks are a bitch
As Hannibal knows well.
_______
"Now you will be cut down. You destroyed the wild animals, so now their terror will be yours." --Habakkuk 2:17
Hannibal of Carthage crossed the Alps with 38,000 men and 37 war elephants in order to attack the Romans. Over half of the men and nearly all of the elephants died on the way.
Whew, this is scary. Love it!
ReplyDelete"You can trust your brand new drapes to me.
I am unconcerned as unconcerned can be,
And though I used to love you,
Now I just can't tell."
My poetry is here, not on Blogger:
ReplyDeleterosemarymint.wordpress.com
i dont trust anything to my cat...he is attempting to hold seige by eating us out of house and home...and will attack anything that moves so dont put your hand in your pocket, just saying...dang, sat on by and elephant might not be fun at all...smiles.
ReplyDeleteIt's only right the cats are having the final word - at least that's what my kittens' ghosts are telling me ...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Hannibal got what he deserved...
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm looking at my cat as she does her best to look cute, and I find myself not falling for that ruse. How can I trust her after reading this? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love it when you go all historical. Seems he ought to have come back as a mouse to me. Of course, elephants are afraid of mice, so maybe not.This little metaphor is devilish, and multileveled, under the always welcome snark.
ReplyDeleteTell you what---I'd come back as a cat! Well, one of our cats, maybe...
ReplyDeletepoor elephants!
ReplyDeleteyour poetry is... sublime!
♥
Only Shay....
ReplyDeleteFlattend by elephants....wow
a two-parter, sort of a diptych
(NOT dip-stick)
Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
Wonderful! Hannibal coming back as a cat. Look out! Made me smile in an 'evil' sort of way!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this one, Shay. That second stanza is hectically brilliant:
ReplyDelete"I am unconcerned as unconcerned can be..." Yep, that's how it's gonna be.
Whoa! Awesome write, Shay!
ReplyDeleteYou are so creative, Shay.
ReplyDeleteThis is scary and haunting. Revenge. Spouse. Haunting.
ReplyDeleteVery clever!
ReplyDeleteHere kitty kitty ... nothing retro here, love it!
ReplyDeleteI live with a similar cat.
ReplyDeleteI have two cats I would not trust with my drapes...wonder who they were in their past lives. :) Nice work!
ReplyDeleteAs a mom to four feline fur babies, I guarantee that cats are plotting something, no matter how cute they may look. Very nicely done!
ReplyDeleteYoiks. I love the poem, but am horrified at the Hannibel trek with elephants.
ReplyDeletep.s. I especially like the "dont care, dont care, dont care"....so catlike!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you'd be happy to come back as my cat ..
ReplyDeleteas always with ur poems, there's a fiesty fiery spirit that comes through...sometimes as a cat, sometimes as a witch.kudos.
ReplyDeleteLove the independent characteristic in the feline genus.
ReplyDeleteSometimes futility evinces within me emotionally when attempting to write in that 'naychur' of independent creativity.
Love your creative 'naychur' Shay.
Yeah...paybacks are a bitch!
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I kind of like the image of Hannibal being flattened by frozen elephants...it brings out my darker humor. Then again, you often write poems that tickle that particular funny bone.
If the cat's claws are like my Aggie's, the drapes are doomed. One time I got this nice new blanket. It took Aggie less than 5 seconds to create a massive pull in the threads...right down the middle. I eventually gave it her and accepted my fate.
I'm starting a new poetry-challenge linkup that I hope you'll jump in on:
ReplyDeletehttp://rosemarymint.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/monday-melting-week-1/
(this week's words are right up your alley, I think)
~Shawna
(rosemarymint.wordpress.com)
yeah, you can't trust 'em with the drapes OR the carpet ;)
ReplyDeleteI liked this one maybe due to the cute cat on the bed but when I read it, it really made sense.
ReplyDeleteIt gets a Wow Meow from me and my gang.
Hannibal as a cat...several dogs may have died as a result, but it's still a pyrrhic victory. Clever concept.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun poem~Karma as a cat.
ReplyDeleteCats and Drapes are a scary combination.
ReplyDeleteLoved this one! Thanks.
xo jj
Hannibal as a cat? I can see that totally, Shay. Stripey says "beware the cool cats" :)
ReplyDeleteUsed to live with cats - not about to trust them with my drapes. Or my ravioli.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, Shay, and I appreciate the historical note at the end. Bonus points for conjuring up a minor Old Testament prophet to aim a little judgment at old Hannibal. ;)
- Traci B
Unstoppable, my RT Open-Link Monday contribution
I love the two-toned harmony of this poem. It's playful, but it's a bit of a deadly game isn't it?
ReplyDeleteCats are easier to forgive even if they shred the drapes...which has happened to me.
ReplyDelete...thought he could cross the mountains with Elephants? Obviously, he came back with a bit more brains as a cat.
In another life on another forum ... I was a cat thief ... now my lives are crossing, getting somewhat confused and it would appear that the old desires from another lifetime have followed me into this life. But I don't care for the desire is so great. When you get up tomorrow and find Hannibal gone you will know who has stolen him (gorgeous fu#$@^& cat). Raven
ReplyDeleteLove it and OMG, is that your cat? I'm assuming it is, and I, too, have a Maine Coon. Are hey awesome or what?
ReplyDelete