By Farmaan Khan
I was reading a poem,
Likely one of my own,
when I saw a moving ball of fur,
which turned out to be the cat I owned.
I called her ‘Jaggu’,
but she only responded to finger-snaps and food.
She suddenly crouched low near the book cabinet,
perhaps she saw something move?
The suspense rose and fell.
She sat there crouching so still.
No sound came even from her collar bell.
She backed off for a second and then leaped underneath in a swell.
I could hear her rustling sheets of paper down there,
clawing around to catch the rodent that bristled up her hair.
Alas! the rustling came to a halt,
and out came Jaggu, victoriously,
with a timid brown rat seeming in utter despair.
I felt proud domesticating an effective predator.
But soon shivers went down my spine,
When this furry monstrosity,
started running towards the leg of mine.
She meant to offer the rat,
as a token of gratitude.
But I was already searching for my bat,
to fend away this frightening attitude.
I was running around the house,
as Jaggu chased her master’s imaginary tail.
With a brown blob and tail in her mouth,
she already caught up to me like I was a snail.
I turned around and onto the couch I sprang,
Jaggu sat there staring at me with evident disappointment.
Then into the previous room I again ran,
as if a flesh-eating tiger was chasing a man.
Entering into the room,
I stumbled on the coffee table and fell down in fearful gloom.
For I knew the innocent criminal was about to grace me soon,
and then she entered like a gang of threatening goons.
I got up to my feet,
And climbed up my bed.
Then threw a stuffed animal to distract her,
and started to run again,
continuing a chase which for hours wouldn’t end.