qarrtsiluni

The cat decelerates at the sight of the negligee,
but negligibly, she’s a feisty little thing. It’s like
she knows the difference between cheap & brilliant,
& costume jewels are for the proverbial birds
who chirp in the rafters, heavy on the reverb.
Dragging her ribbons she darts to the window—
the sweet release of death, to the feline,
is a self-indulgent wish. She purrs at the snow
& her fur is windblown. Do the girls
interpret her shivers as fear or something
fancier? Dancing animals populate
their dreams. It is almost dreamtime,
so say the clock’s glockenspiels.
Say goodnight to the haloed room.

by Elisa Gabbert and Kathleen Rooney

Download the MP3 (reading by Kathleen)

Process notes

“Two Girls Decorating a Cat by Candlelight” is an ekphrastic poem based on the painting by Joseph Wright of Derby.

For more notes on the authors’ collaborative process, see “Rasterization.”