Poem (As the cat) by William Carlos Williams
Gotta love film students for keeping the medium irreverent. This is by Kurt Snyder. Here’s the text of the poem:
As the cat
climbed over
the top ofthe jamcloset
first the right
forefootcarefully
then the hind
stepped down
into the pit of
the empty
flowerpot
I’ll have to say, my cats have always acted more like this. I remind them frequently that they aren’t supposed to clear off the tops of surfaces but slither gracefully over, under, around. They never listen.
Good one.
People are always interpreting this poem as a clumsy moment in a cat’s life, but a careful reading reveals that the cat’s front paw descends into the flower pot first, followed by the hind leg. No catastrophic slip, but a deliberate entrance into the empty flower pot. I’ve seen my cats do this a hundred times with boxes or any empty container. They are forever getting into containers smaller than they are, like shoe boxes, and hunching down to nap or spy on someone/thing. Flower pots come in a variety of sizes too.
I think your interpretation is correct. The animation is fun but not terribly edifying.