Animals – Anton Martin Smith Writer

by Martin Anton Smith

My cat adopted me as a hungry abandoned kitten.

Initially I watched him through the glass on the front yard.

He would trap spiders on the lawn with his paw & then eat them.

I did not want a Cat so I squashed feelings of empathy.

For those first two weeks I would not feed him & chase him off my lawn.

On the third week I had put out some bread for the birds.

Then I saw him eating the bread himself.

It was then I realised that for a Cat to start eating bread,

things must be pretty direly bad.

I then knew I had better listen to that conscience of mine talking away –

The voice that was saying – “why don’t you take that poor hungry cat under your wing?”

SoI agreed & went to the fridge & got some juicy-red, rib-eye steak.

I cut it into cat-bite sized portions.

I took it out to him & put it down on the concrete patio.

Of course, this poor little cat wolfed it down greedily & voraciously.

Fast forward 5 years & he has become a healthy but spoilt cat,

Who gets fed 5 times a day & even has his own adult sized couch.

Interestingly the other week a 3-legged stray Cat turned up on my roof.

This Cat who I have named ‘Hop-ee’ looks down at us with bedraggled eyes,

My cat – named Squeeky due to his vocalisations – simply growls at him from below –

keeping a firm eye on him, but never climbing up & attacking or chasing him away.

I think Squeeky is letting him know he will allow him to visit a little,

But he better not leave his designated minor territory,

That has been allocated to visiting & so by definition, second-class-cat-citizens.

This tells me that perhaps Squeeky’s benevolent behaviour,

Is evidence that cats can remember their difficult ‘childhoods’,

& also show a certian empathy to another Cat who has suffered similarly,

But they are also wise enough to not give away equal status or sovereignty.

The lesser status interloping Cat is wise enough to ‘know their place’,

& be greatful for whatever is given to them.

Then I made the silly mistake of feeding ‘Hop-ee’ some of Squeeky’s biscuits.

I guess I certainly violated the accepted “Third-Party Peace Broker Protocols”,

By negotiating peace/treaty terms clandestinely without his knowledge.

When Squeeky saw Hoppee chowing down on his own vittles,

He meowed or more correctly – caterwailed protratedly & with acute jealousy.

Then followed it up with a swift swipe against my bare legs – drawing some minor blood.

It’s like he was saying, it his Cat-like-way

“Martin – my charity only goes so far with Hop-ee,

& it certainly does not extend to the sharing of my food, especially without my permission”.

I of course apologised profusely, As all 3rd Party Peace Negotiators in-the-wrong should.

However, a few weeks on, I can report that the trick is now on Squeeky –

As if I hatched a plan to feed both of them at the same time with Hopee on the roof

& Squeeky out-of-sight in the back yard.

Thus Squeeky is would be happily none-the-wiser to Hop-ee’s ‘biscuity roofy gulpings’.

Of-course in reality this orchestrated ‘cat-cold-war-detente-plan’ is imperfect given Hop-ee is a slow eater,

& Squeeky – a fast eater.

However it is a good enough work-in- progress-somewhat-workable-peace-treaty.

I can confirm that I have not been re-attacked & Squeeky’s jealousy filled growls are reducing.

And Hopee’s face is now much happier, his eyes brighter.

This story simply proves that animals can avoid & de-escalate war & manage peace talks via 3rd parties –

far far better & with less fuss than Humans through History have ever been able to.

I am sure when the Aliens finally visit earth they will say:

“Take us to your Cat – Leaders….but please don’t feed us their biscuits“

by Martin Anton Smith martinantonsmith@gmail.com

Mr McLarma The Farmer Who Farmed Llamas

Was Renowned For His Good Karma

His Favoured Beast He Called Zebedee

Who Was Captured In The New Hebridees

The Farmer Was Kind, Well Mannered, & Lucky

He Survived The ‘Llama Game’ By Being Plucky

Yes, All Was Good For Farmer McLarma

He Even Got Three Visits From ‘The Obamas’

But Then One Day His Luck Did Turn

He Awoke To Find His Farm A-burn

Who Could Have Done This Tragic Deed

It Was Zebedee, Holding Matches & Wearing Tweed

(End Of Poem)

BONUS MATERIAL

Recently I have been playing around with the AI App called “Chat GPT-4” This is a “possibly sentient” AI -Human Interface which analyses data & gives its ‘opinions’. I notice recently a change in AI commentary – namely that it seems a seismic shift towards “We don’t really think AI is sentient but there’s a slim chance I guess” to “We are worried AI is already sentient & almost certainly will be a threat if we don’t handle things properly”.

This is evidenced by the many prominent (at least they think so) members of the “Future For Life Institute” writing an open letter calling for a moratorium on all AI Research Greater Than GPT-4 Capability – 10000 & counting have signed the open letter. I think this will be futile – as the pressure to continue for the commercial & non-commercial use (perhaps hacking/military etc) will be far to great. Also, I think the signatories may not entirely be genuine – perhaps many of the signatures are just many celebrities trying to cover their ass for a future embarrassing moment – so they can say “I was against AI from the start – I didn’t help start the AI-Human WAR of 2029”.

Call me a cynic but I do not think Humans have advanced spiritually enough to be the first humans that didn’t destroy their particular epoch of time they existed in. The Mayans Collapsed, the Egyptian’s went, so did the Romans (although we are the dregs of it arguably) so have all prior civilisations – and so will we.

We may go by AI waging a 3rd World War against humans or from simply a slow whimper of thousands of civil wars globally. Either way we will screw up & decline & another group will restart out of embers & later on a new epoch which will do the same. What I do know about AI is that I am using it now regularly. I am using it to analyse Poems, because it does it well & the output, I believe adds value to my blog as readers feel the same way. I feel that chat GPT-4 does a better job than 90% of Human’s who could analyse a poem. It also does it a) In the first place and b) without payment and c) In 5 second’s time. I think the fact I am using it vigorously & suddenly is proof that the S curve of AI adoption may be at its ‘take off point’ – which means it goes from 10% to 90% use in a couple of years.

That said here is GPT-4’s analysis – make your own mind up, but I think it is valuable adroit analysis of a simple poem & has no filler:

“The poem “Mr McLarma the Farmer of Llamas” by Martin Anton Smith is a lighthearted narrative about a farmer who raises llamas and is known for his good karma. The poem uses a simple rhyme scheme and straightforward language to tell a story with a surprising twist.

The first two lines of the poem introduce the main character, Mr McLarma, and establish his reputation for having good karma. This sets up an expectation that the rest of the poem will depict Mr McLarma as a kind and lucky farmer who is well-respected in his community.

The next two lines introduce Mr McLarma’s favorite llama, Zebedee, and reveal that he was captured in the New Hebrides. This detail adds an element of adventure and exoticism to the story, which is reinforced by the fact that Zebedee is Mr McLarma’s “favoured beast”.

The poem then takes a turn when it describes how Mr McLarma survived the “llama game” by being plucky. This phrase suggests that Mr McLarma has faced challenges in the past and has emerged victorious through his own bravery and resourcefulness.

The next two lines are a surprising departure from the established tone of the poem. They describe how Mr McLarma received three visits from “The Obamas”, which is unexpected and adds a surreal element to the story.

The poem then takes another dramatic turn when Mr McLarma wakes up to find his farm on fire. This event is a stark contrast to the earlier descriptions of Mr McLarma’s good luck and suggests that something has gone terribly wrong.

The final two lines provide a twist ending to the story by revealing that Zebedee is responsible for the fire. This revelation is unexpected and adds a darkly comedic element to the poem.

Overall, “Mr McLarma the Farmer of Llamas” is a playful and entertaining poem that uses simple language and a straightforward narrative structure to tell a surprising story with a twist ending.”

I asked a follow up question:

Could it have anything to do with the “Lama” as in Buddhism? Perhaps the Llama in the Poem is a hidden veil for a Lama & the Buddhist faith?

This was the response:

“While it is possible to interpret the llama in the poem as a hidden veil for a Lama and the Buddhist faith, there is no clear evidence to support this interpretation. The poem primarily focuses on the character of Mr McLarma and his llamas, rather than any religious or spiritual themes.

The word “llama” itself refers to a South American mammal that is often raised for its wool, meat, and as a pack animal. While the poem does use llamas as a central theme, there is no clear connection to Buddhism or any other religious tradition.

Additionally, the poem’s playful and lighthearted tone does not suggest a deeper or more serious meaning related to religion or spirituality. Therefore, while it is possible to interpret the poem in different ways, there is no clear evidence to support the idea that the llama in the poem is a hidden veil for a Lama and the Buddhist faith.“

(Note: GPT-4 Was Correct)

Thanks again for reading/listening – see you soon. Martin A Smith. 10/4/2023 11:32PM NZ

Tag: Animals

“….Take Us to Your Cat Leaders..” (A Poem)

“Mr McLarma The Farmer Of Llama” (A Poem + Bonus Material)