The Cat Who Edits

By Claudia Wysocky

The cat who edits what isn't loved is motivated
by its own greed for the spotlight.
It's been asleep, dreaming of the red pen
it'd paw at when it heard a new poem in the hall.
Without even asking, it pounces and takes over,
removing any trace of what was there before.
When you see the cat, it is time to run and hide.
It will keep you up all night and work you like a slave;
it doesn't need a screen or a fat stack of paper.
It has only one idea: to take your poem apart
and put it back together again as something else.
It won't stop until it thinks it's done enough damage—
till you're tired of fighting with every word he adds or deletes;
till there's nothing left that can be changed again, nothing left that is yours alone,
It is his.

Claudia Wysocky, a Polish poet based now in New York, is known for her ability to capture the beauty of life through rich descriptions in her writing. She firmly believes that art has the potential to inspire positive change. With over five years of experience in fiction writing, Claudia has had her poems published in local newspapers and magazines. For her, writing is an endless journey and a powerful source of motivation.