The Cat is Black

The Cat is Black

he wrote a poem
and titled it
the cat is black
with the only line
in the poem
reading
"the cat is black"

he was asked
what it meant
for the cat 
to be black
instead of white
he was asked
whether it meant
the cat
was either good or bad

they needed to know
if the cat
being black
was some reference
to death
emptiness
the occult
something ugly
or something else

some said
if black meant
the cat was good
then the poem 
was indeed 
good too
with its creative use
of black
making it
even better

while others said
it was a great poem
in its simplicity
so long
as the cat
being black
was bad

in the confusion
he was told
for the poem to be accepted
he'd have to explain it
and the cat
and black
for what they 
really were

but he
was a contrary
obstinate artist
so he simply
rewrote the poem
calling it
the cat is ebony
and refusing to explain
any reason
for the change
or what any of it
meant

in the end
his poem 
was never accepted
for meaning too much
or too little
the right thing
or the wrong thing
and especially
for describing
the cat
so plainly
for what
it
was