CAT AT THE TANK
ESTIMATING one hundred fishthis professor sits,as if watching a computer.A tabby in a patient role,his only movementto clasp a paw,seeming to want a pen and inkto record observations.
This machine has a screensaver.
Orange specks glint, as if lit by electricity. They swim before
the expert's eyes, he counts
them, purring
at the realisation of his theory.
Then fish are fed, they rise.
The cat stretches
a soft foot
towards the tank
noticing water, reels away
blinking, as golden leaves in an autumn breeze
confuse feline philosophy.
Mary Charman-Smith