The Sudden Demise of Tiddles, by Virtue of a Lorry

Harvey Chu

Harvey Chu had made a deal
with the mice that lived below:
every night he shared his meal
so they didn’t have to go
too far to find their favourite food
or be a nuisance to
the humans that inhabited
the house of Harvey Chu

Where Have You Been All Week, Then?

The grey cat, whose name was Tobias,
wanted an old lady to care for him
to feed him tuna and fresh cream
and salmon on Tuesdays.

He spent a week –
a whole week, mind –
sitting on the wall of number 22,
staring at the window
where the old lady sat.

On Friday she wasn’t there
but there was a white van with flashing lights at the kerb
and men with a portable bed.

On Saturday she wasn’t there again.
So Tobias went home
where his pets gave him meat out of a tin
and just ordinary milk.