Love Poem 43

There are times where people look at animals and they say:

oh, they are so simple;

they don’t understand very much and they are

dumb as bricks.

Or, maybe, they say:

Well, yeah, they are smart

FOR AN ANIMAL.

Sure, maybe those things are true.

Maybe the dog isn’t building a spaceship

and the cat isn’t writing a novel,

but the cat and the dog and all the other animals

understand what it is

to be in love

better than any human I have met.

When they are mad, they really let you know:

the dog might tear up something important of yours,

and the cat might piss in your favourite seat;

maybe there is a load of shit in the kitchen.

Whatever the case might be,

there is no uncertainty or

confusion about where the animal stands,

which is a damn sight better than most people, and

certainly grounds to swear off human love entirely.

Of course, there is a clear lack of complexity

that is brought to the table and

one needs to be prepared

to be alone if one swears to never connect with another human

again.

There will be things the dog can’t provide and that the cat

can’t provide,

but they move in the world with

absolute honesty.

I wish I could feel in such a capacity.

I wish my heart held all of that space.

The good news it that I have those little critters in my life

to help me maintain some sort of

grounding

because too many people means too many problems

which means

life gets complicated faster, gets messier faster,

instead of getting simpler and sweeter.