.
tom thomson’s cat
wasn’t around
the day tom
thomson drowned
at least it’s not
in the painting
I found
which
judging by the
abundance of trees
is clearly what
tom thomson
was working on
before he went
for a dip
.
tom thomson’s cat
couldn’t be bothered
to model most days
hence the cat
doesn’t appear
in any paintings
worth a damn
tom thomson’s sketches
were affordable until
a little while back
but now everything’s
out of reach
not that there’s
a cat in any of
the sketches either
so I’m not really
in the market
.
I found this painting
which it’s worth
remembering
was the last thing
tom thomson painted
his last painting just
leaning beside
a pile of clothes
in the woods
cigarette
smoldering still
I take that
as a sign
of an attempt
at poetry
which is a bit
garish considering
the circumstances
somebody with taste
might suggest
he should stick
to swimming
.
just like swimming
cats don’t enjoy smoking
but just like babies
they’ll do it
if you force them
.
a portrait with
one’s cat for
a subject can
really shed light
on the artist’s state
of mind
think of all the bastards
who’ve bested you with
their cat paintings
they’re people too
trying to make some
sense of the world
rightly worried
their cat knows
more than them
.
having heard
no mewling
for a few hours
tom thomson went
looking for his cat
the cat sat
on its haunches
contentedly staring
into the far depths
of tom thomson’s
newly finished
landscape
tom thomson thought:
it’s dangerous
to consider
what a cat might
be thinking
after several minutes
the cat reached
a conclusion:
that’s one dirty window
.
tom thomson was
a scrawny guy
despite his big talk
always looking
for the perfect
vista to share with
the yet born
whereas I’ve gained
a few pounds
but these trunks
fit and I’m feeling
suitably miserable
and that cat is
nowhere to be seen
please don’t paint this
