Morning Ritual

24 Replies

Morning Ritual

Boy cat awakes at six o’clock
to begin his morning walk
across my former sleeping self,
then jumps down from my bedside shelf

to continue his aggressive sass.
Wrestles the rug, then bats the brass
light cord, yowls and kneads the sheet
until I rise. Admit defeat.


He leads me to the kitchen door.
I let him out , but do no more.
I don’t renew his empty dish.
No new beef and no new fish
adorn its naked metal sheen.
It’s six o’clock! I’m feeling mean.

Back to bed until at eight
the dogs begin their loud debate.
The girl cat’s where the boy cat’s been,
taunting them from here within.

She jumps up on the headboard table,
disconnects my laptop cable,


turns off its screen and then what’s more,
knocks the lampshade to the floor.

Jumps down and then attacks the rug—
A slide-attack, a pull, a tug—
until once more it’s hillocked, rumpled.
twisted, skewed, distressed and crumpled.

Now the dogs both go ballistic
and I, alas, become realistic.

Thrust myself up from my bed,
and after both the dogs are fed,
I give in to the cats’ loud din—
one cat out and one cat in.

One says good-bye, one says hello. One seeks to come, the other go!

When I shop, I buy the flavor I know their highnesses most favor.

Walk barefoot over the cold floor,
open up the outside door,
and, stepping out to feed the cats,
I open up the cupboard that’s
located by the kitchen door,
to grab the cat food can, but then
as one cat exits, one rushes in!

I spoon the goop into one dish
to tail-swaying and whisker swish.
Pour kibble in another one,
step back inside and watch the fun.

Seeking nutritional renewal, they fall upon their kitty gruel

Sharing a dish, cats bob and sway
in graceful pas de deux display.
Alternating, dish-to-dish
from wet to dry, whate’er their wish.

And finally, the herd all fed,
exhausted, I go back to bed!

Prompt words for today are goodbye/hello, brass, renewal and favor.

24 thoughts on “Morning Ritual”

    1. lifelessons Post author

      I could take that. It is the racing at breakneck speed over the bed, jumping up on surfaces where there are breakable things, knocking the lampshade to the floor, setting the bulb askew, making a pile out of the rug. It’s like they get the devil in them once a day and are tranquil the rest of the time.. but the devil always visiting when I’m fast asleep–sometimes only after 3 hours of sleep or so. Ah well. Gives us something to write about, no?

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  4. SAM VOELKER

    Oh yours is such a normal mundane life. Change the routine, let the dogs inside and THEY will exercise the cats, chasing them around the house, knocking down things as they slide around corners, change their diet and they will learn not to be so normal, but will instead yell at you like a wild animal. I am sure that in years to come, someone living in this house will say “oh cats once lived here !” only by looking at the door facings. And yes you have learned that a cat is an animal that is always on the wrong side of the door and if you let them in, they will turn around and say, “No I really wanted out”.

    Now my cats get their loving of the day in the evening when each in turn comes onto the bed for a pet down, then go to their (special) spot for (part) of the night. I let my dog Tami sleep near my feet where she “protects me”, head outward, and butt toward me, and she then jumps at the cats if they try to get on the bed during the night, waking me several times at night with her paw stomping action with the weight of an elephant. Then in the morning, at daylight, her big dark eyes tell me “it is time~!”, I give her the special signal of “OK” and she walks up the full length of my body, then sits on my chest where we have our morning togetherness. A good thing she only weighs 10 pounds~! The real action starts later when I get dressed, as that will be the first of several walks she will take me on for the day, with two cats getting into the parade, talking about it, but they only go about half way before a distraction by a lizard, field mouse, or bird takes over. In the meantime Tami has smelled a Jack Rabbit, deer, or other living creature to check out. Thank goodness my walk to the gate is only 1/4 mile while her turns into three to five miles while checking out everything along the way, and then going to her special place, where I never walk, for toilet service. Later in the day we will repeat this, except at least once a day I make her heel next to my left leg, to keep her in training for those few times when we need to go out among (people) of the Covid world.

    Aren’t they great~! What a dull life it would be without them~! They don’t argue, fight, snore or make life terrible like a lover or mate would do~!

    However yours was a well said and very informative poem about some of those that make your life worth living, without even needing to write a single word to you about it~!
    SAM

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  7. Marilyn Armstrong

    Do we even remember what it was like living in a house without animals? I feel — with just one dog — that I’m missing pieces. It has been many years since I had just one pet. I guess the birds sort of make up for it.

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      This is exactly what happened this morning. They were wild!!! I keep saying no more cats in bed and then I relent. I don’t know how they got in this time. I came to bed and they were waiting for me. Calm and loving. Duplicitous little creatures!!!

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  9. judyreeveswriter

    So much fun. I smiled all the way through, maybe because I don’t live with any critters and so can stay abed as long as I want anytime I want. But then, a woman alone without kitties or a pup or two is missing out on a whole lotta love.

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      Oh man, Judy.. the day certainly went downhill from there. I won’t go through the middlestory but at 3:30 in the afternoon, Gloria fell and broke her hip. I just got back from the hospital. They are operating tomorrow at 9 a.m. She’s on some good painkillers so hope she’ll have a peaceful night…

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