Philippa Lane Poems

Hard to understand
(ode to my cat Louie)

Red
...

I wish my parents wouldn’t fight –
I feel like a cat curled up in a corner
With no one noticing it.
...

Sometimes I don’t understand
Why grownups cry,
Usually, when I do someone
Has been mean to me
...

in copious tears
and terrible pain
i've fought an illness
I disdain
...

yes, my torment has gone
and, more remarkable
i seem unharmed
the machine of flesh and blood
...

The dog still shed its hair,
The counterpane wasl torn,
I thought your love
Would put it all in order
...

We just withered away like plants
that hadn't been watered
Nor had enough light;
You were bloated with insulin,
...

I remember the many times
I sauntered schoolgirl-style
Beneath the beeches tall,
Their leafy parasols
...

Someone who loves, friendly
as doves, who cares and will
always be there.
...

They say
Love makes the world
go round
That Hate is really out-of-date
...