SENIOR CAT
what is teakettle?
he’s a major motherfucker
I ask my wife again
what is teakettle?
she says “I won’t say it”
I say
say it or I won’t
leave the side
of the bed
what is teakettle
she says
he’s a major
motherfucker
his front end
is solemn
his back end
is a tease
the dogs are
clownfish
but teakettle
knows how to
curl up
in the baby’s knees
what is teakettle?
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PHIL SHILS‘ poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Rattle, Elimae, The Chocorua Review, Alba, and Hyperlexia Journal. He’s working on a book of poems about life with his daughter, Lucia. He and his family live in Decatur, Illinois where he works as a physician assistant.
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