Barrie the new cat

Barrie

We were reading under our parasol and the cats were passing by

all day long, as they do in July, round here

Barrie wanted to stay

everything was new to her and it was all exciting

bounding onto the sun-filled stage of the terrace

squeaking and fanged; exclaiming at everything she met

on those too-big feet she might grow into one day

she loved dozing in the pots on mulchy soil

or lying tiger-striped beneath the sun lounger

which was where we found her later, in dreary September

Barrie’s little body like cardboard

all the lovely life quoshed

and driven out of her

as if by overnight Manchester rain

she was bigger by then but not so much,

making a tiny parcel in the faded orange towel.

She’d hardly had time to do anything yet

but be all excited and thrilled to be here

like Jeremy said,

she was only just learning how to be a cat.