Wednesday, June 14, 2006

I Should Like To Sleep Like A Cat

Cat's Dream
How neatly a cat sleeps,
sleeps with its paws and its posture,
sleeps with its wicked claws,
and with its unfeeling blood,
sleeps with all the rings--
a series of burnt circles--
which have formed the odd geology
of its sand-colored tail.
I should like to sleep like a cat,
with all the fur of time,
with a tongue rough as flint,
with the dry sex of fire;
and after speaking to no one,
stretch myself over the world,
over roofs and landscapes,
with a passionate desire
to hunt the rats in my dreams.


I have seen how the cat asleep
would undulate, how the night
flowed through it like dark water;
and at times, it was going to fall
or possibly plunge into
the bare deserted snowdrifts.

Sometimes it grew so much in sleep
like a tiger's great-grandfather,
and would leap in the darkness over
rooftops, clouds and volcanoes.
Sleep, sleep cat of the night,
with episcopal ceremony
and your stone-carved moustache.
Take care of all our dreams;
control the obscurity
of our slumbering prowess
with your relentless heart
and the great ruff of your tail.

Pablo Neruda

(posted by Portia)

4 comments:

spd rdr said...

I'm susre glad somebody's taking care of business around here. Otherwise I'd have to post something on the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Anonymous said...

He's alive!

...and there was much rejoicing!

-Don Brouhaha

portia said...

Just in time, too. The rent's due:)
I can't pay the rent
You must pay the rent!
I can't pay the rent!
You MUST.
I CAN'T
i'll pay the rent!"
Curses foiled again!

Cutting and pasting Neruda poems is hardly "taking care of business" but I figured it was better than leaving HH vulnerable to random Commerce Clause posts:) Little did I know that the oh so titillating Sherman Antitrust Act would slip through.

Didn't they repeal that anachronistic, counter-effective piece of hooey yet? They should. One word: Amtrak. OK, two words: Post Office.

Uh oh. I hope yopu're not arguing for its application on behalf of your clients. In that case,

I feel another Neruda poem coming on....

spd rdr said...

As much as I hate cats (five in the house) I love Neruda.