Sleepless in Vancouver

Here I lay, so late at night,
On the couch, beneath a light.
Here I’m likely to remain,
As I listen to the rain.

I’m alone; the house is still.
Droplets splash the window sill.
Metal roof and tree leaves dripping,
‘have a book but pages flipping.

Vacant words. I’m not quite reading.
Comprehension’s not succeeding.
Refrigerator hums along –
Counterpoint to nature’s song.

Cat is curled up tail to nose
At my feet’s the place he chose.
Must be nice to relax there,
Breathing faintly, not a care.

I’ll have wasted half the night,
Waking, still, at morning light.
I’ve many things I need to do
When rain and sleepless nights are through.

But, true to my ironic fate,
I’ll work fatigued and come home late.
I’ll wait again for sleep to come
Accomp’nied by rain’s steady drum.

David Satterlee

Essay: A new idea is like a new cat in the house

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A new idea is like a new cat in the house

From the book: Chum for Thought: Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters by David Satterlee

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A new idea is like a new #cat in the house. People resist change agents

Chum For Thought:
Throwing Ideas into Dangerous Waters

A new idea is like a new cat in the house

I found a relatively new poster at open.salon.com. She writes with thoughtful passion about ways that she has had to face and reason about controversial situations. It turns out that I was the first one to “favorite” her and we exchanged several messages. She was distressed by the strong anger that one her articles had provoked and was considering withdrawing from the site. I encouraged her to carry on:

“Dear Kat, People who write like you do are really annoying. This is actually a good thing. Don’t worry about it. Keep it up. Perfect your art. I got a bumper sticker for my wife’s car that said,