Three O’clock Calico

Three o’clock calico
Do you not know
What people do at 3?
We sleep, in fact, deeply.

Your cries might seem cute
In daylight.
But at night, they’re downright
Rude, and selfish

Introduce yourself sometime
Preferably on my doorstep,
Not by my nightstand,
Not when I’m dreaming.

You remember me-

I’m the crazy chick,
With the hair in a knot,
Peeling back the shutters,
Scolding you and your purple collar.

“Go home to your people!”
“No, that’s not me!”

You belong in the country
Where you can yowl all you want,
Not in the city, where people need sleep.

Three nights I’ve heard you
One more and I’ll get traps.
There are humane ones,
But perhaps they’re too nice…

You’d probably still howl
Scratch
Moan
And mew

Let me sleep.
You little 3 a.m. banshee.