Today's Poem

I had my doubts; Thoreau had written that
“It is not worth the while to go round the world

To count the cats in Zanzibar,” but why not?

Wherever you go, you find yourself waiting –

On edge sometimes, glancing at your watch –

Perhaps I had become impatient for my arrival

In  Zanzibar, to start counting its cats.

Zanzibar, even now, is not reached in a day

I had arranged rooms for myself and a job

Folding towels at the old Persian Baths.

The cats came to be counted when I got off work

(Some insisted they be  counted often;

I never argued with them on this).

Holidays I counted the Zanzibar Leopard

Not hard; there are only six left

But they seemed pleased when I came by.