May might be here but I’m still working through the NaPoWriMo – 30 Poems in 30 Days prompts since I discovered them late.
Write a poem that challenges a proverb.
NaPoWriMo.net
After a bit of googling on proverbs I decided to go with one that I’ve explored recently in another poem: “Curiosity killed the cat”
Natural Causes
It is said that Curiosity killed the cat, but I’ve got it on good authority that the cat died from Natural Causes.
If it had been “Curiosity killed the kitten” I wouldn’t have batted a lash. Kittens are so playful and get into all kinds of trouble.
Or even more probable would have been “Curiosity killed the puppy”. A sad thought, but not surprising given their propensity to run amok.
In fact, I’d much more believe that the cat killed Curiosity. It wasn’t premeditated, but it was a well orchestrated attack based on poor little Curiosity trying to catch its tail.
But don’t fret, Curiosity is okay. The puppy, kitten are also unharmed as there is no dead body at the scene. All is well it seems.
Unless the cat disposed of the bodies. That’s surely possible. Oh, what a tragedy we’ve discovered. Clearly the moral of this story is to beware the cat!
You might be wondering how the cat could have died from Natural Causes and also been guilty of the triple murder of Curiosity, the kitten, and the puppy?
The answer of course is the old saying that cats have nine lives. The question is do you convict a murderous cat for crimes committed during its previous life? As far as I know this is a legal question that has not been resolved yet by the courts.
But what is my evidence that the cat died from Natural
Causes you might ask? Well, it’s quite simple. Natural Causes confessed to the killing. Apparently the cat was wailing about a long lost love in the middle of the night and Natural Causes through a heavy boot out the window to shut him up. It was cat slaughter, pure and simple. An open and shut case.
There you have it. Case solved.
Be well,
Monty

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- Adding My Light to the Sum of the LightBe well, Monty
- As Time Dances AlongEast bleeds west,As time dances along,Urging the day forward. Be well, Monty
- Sitting in the DarkThe lights burnt out,Darkness cast across a nation broken,Lit only by fiery wrath and ire,Graffiti hate betraying fear,He watches from his Oval Office,Admiring the powerContinue reading “Sitting in the Dark”
- I’ll Be OkI fell down, hard. First tripped up by my own feet, I’d lost my balance. Then they saw their chance and pushed me. Slammed meContinue reading “I’ll Be Ok”
- Burning SlowI’m slow to anger, how biblical of me! But the truth is I burn low and slow and resentfully. You won’t catch me shouting loud.Continue reading “Burning Slow”
- Re-reading MontyThey claim to be my words, but I’ve no memory;They seem too deep, too wise, beyond me,Yet there they are, on the page,With a typoContinue reading “Re-reading Monty”
- An Act of LoveShe ripped a page out of my book, literally.Tore the page right out of it,Transforming words undercover into an act of love,A passionate invitation toContinue reading “An Act of Love”
- TexturesBe well, Monty
- Psych 101A mystery, a silent roar,Boiled down to an atmospheric essence,Unlimited in a formless dress;The girl from Baylor Hall. Be well, Monty
- Boing!Be well, Monty
- Another AbsurdityUp the bean-stalk he climbed,Exposed arse whistling in the wind(the score to some old sitcom frombefore all the screens turned blue),He was compensating for theContinue reading “Another Absurdity”
- Explicit AbsurdityHydrogen uppers gaslight me into obsolescence,Escaping gravity, wound-up, and ready to bounceAn engineer’s failed experiment in abstinence,A human bot,Go ahead and tariff me – what’sContinue reading “Explicit Absurdity”
- Poof!Be well, Monty
- The DancerBe well, Monty
- A “Selfie” PortraitBe well, Monty
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- A Return to PatternsBe well, Monty
- Poetry in MotionBe well, Monty
- A Simple JoyThe citrus spritz bloomed,Awakening my senses,A simple, wondrous joy,The sweet scent from a bitter rind,Perhaps a lesson there. Be well, Monty
- A Life Being LivedI’ve been retracing my steps all morning. Not deep into the past, but shallow moves forward followed by equal measures backward. Stuck in a reciprocatingContinue reading “A Life Being Lived”
- The VisitorHe chatters away downstairs, the sound carrying upward as he tells a story in a rush, interrupted only by the laughter of a captive audienceContinue reading “The Visitor”
- Seasons of the SunBe well, Monty
- A Gray DayFinally a gray day,All those expansive bluesWere wearing me down,As if compelling me to good humor,Trying to get me to forget it’s still mid-winter. WellContinue reading “A Gray Day”
- An Evening’s InventoryThe dog lays flat out as if to emphasize the basis of the saying “dog-tired”. The TV chatters in Chinese in the background, almost quietContinue reading “An Evening’s Inventory”
- Firework ExtractionsBe well, Monty
I often wonder where proverbs come from, when I hear myself repeating an old proverb, thinking where did that come from? Endlessly fascinating to ponder.
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It’s interesting. My mother in law has lived with us for our entire marriage and often told Chinese proverbs to the kids to try to get them to obey. It’s interesting to hear similar ideas from completely different directions. I think Grandma’s are the source of many proverbs! Haha.
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Haha they are certainly the continuation of them that’s for sure
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I’m with you on that. Poor Curiosity.
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