Crazy Cat Ladies Shall Inherit the Earth with Rhythm & Blues
By JUSTIN KARCHER
I come from a long line of crazy cat ladies
and I mean “crazy” as a compliment
dreamy-eyed mothers
creating fortune cookies out of thin air
‘cause they know that the future
is something only you can make
with hard saintliness
when you fall into the rhythm of tenderness
pulmonary pitter-patter
when you don’t look back in anger anymore
even when the nights are lonely
crazy cat ladies still push through
rescuing songs from burning buildings
they are musicians
without being musicians
bringing comfort with every step they take
a kind of purring that shapes new suns
as far as the eye can see
dreamy-eyed mothers taking kitty litter
scattering it all across the city like pixie dust
here is sand, here is the beach
here is where you succeed against all odds
in a fist-shaped land
scooping up broken swimmers
that have washed ashore
and telling them to keep on swimming
you’re braver than you believe
pretend you’re the wind
blowing treadmills through cemeteries
shake off the dead weight
hey look, I am the son of a crazy cat lady
and am proud of it
“crazy” meaning that sometimes
the world doesn’t understand you
or the music coursing through your veins
but keep playing anyway
there’s bravery in caring
when no one else does
there’s bravery in feeding whoever
or whatever is hungry
a crumbling of food or a plate of dreams
the world isn’t what it seems
but softheartedness is always worth it
when you help the meek take over the cockpit
fly on their own terms, away from all the storms