That cat is looking
at me funny, I’ve seen it
talking to the cook, licking
its sly little claws
and whispering, ‘What
is the man doing to
Rome? I’ve seen him
swinging that gun around,
quoting Augustus.’

Well, that was true,
but what does a cat know?
What do any of them know?
Russia’s empire is nought but ice,
Germany is a grey abyss,
and Britain’s is bleeding out
to the American cafes
and Uncle Sam.
Italy is Virgil. Italy is
legionnaires and Caesar,
and Julius never took criticism
from bastard cats.

————

Connor Harrison is a student at the University of Chester, studying Creative Writing and English. He has had short stories and poetry published online and in print, and spends his free time writing, reading, and arranging his bookshelf alphabetically. He also brings Kurt Vonnegut up in conversation more than is socially acceptable.