3/ why all the shoving?
they were thrusting lurching
pressing scrambling toward mother
hungry to get milk
to suck
to nurse
to grow big
to be strong
I tried to push too but
so hard to get to the front –
someone stepped on my head
someone stepped on my tail
someone hissed
someone bit
someone walked over me
as if I weren't even there.
I tried and tried — and tried!
kept on falling failing, couldn't do it
couldn't push my way in.
After a while I'd lay down in dark corner
flex my paws
suck on the blanket in the bottom of our box
***
Image above is a detail from Contentment by renowned cat portraitist Henriette Ronner-Knip (1821-1909)
