Poem of the Week: 2.9.23
"Because I am allergic and in love" by Ricky Novaes de Oliveira
Because I am allergic and in love
by Ricky Novaes de Oliveira
Because I am allergic and in love I pet the cat with the broomstick I pet the cat with my breakfast banana I pet the cat with a lighter I pet the cat with a bike pump I pet the cat with a flip flop I pet the cat with a Zoom call I pet the cat with a cold shoulder I pet the cat with folding laundry I pet the cat with an unread text I pet the cat with a copy and paste I pet the cat within my bunker I pet the cat with dry-swallowed pills I pet the cat with a furtive stare I pet the cat with a little death I pet the cat though it once clawed me I pet the cat with my knuckle then wipe it I pet the cat with a hummingbird feeder I pet the cat with the hose on jet I pet the cat with a job well done I pet the cat with a booty call I pet the cat with a bumper sticker I pet the cat with a bad parking job I pet the cat with quarters for the meter I pet the cat with a 4-digit gate code I pet the cat with a buzz I pet the cat outside your front door I pet the cat on the way in but I forget to wash my hands and my hands touch you as yours touch me I pet the cat with an itch, then a rub, then a scratch, hitting the spot, sneeze I pet the cat one more time even though I have to go because you love that cat and I want to be loved by you, too
Read by the poet:
Thank you for reading the Poem of the Week!
With Valentine’s day coming up, I felt a love poem would be appropriate this week. Upon transcribing the poem here and reading it, I now realize how this whole poem reads like one large innuendo… Which is kinda cool and all, but this poem was literally inspired by a cat.
That’s Tubby, a neighbor’s cat from when I lived in a different part of the city. I miss that backyard and that cat, who kept me plenty of company during the pandemic’s peak. I am allergic to cats, as you have read and found out, so my love was at a distance (or followed by a frantic run to the sink).
“Because I am allergic and in love” is sappy, vaguely sexy, and possibly funny. It’s vulnerable and raw, two qualities that I wish my younger self had embraced more in my first few relationships. I hope you find love soon, whether it be with another or within yourself.
Meow, Ricky