Napping Cat

[Hawkman]

Almond eyes a-flicker beneath her beaming lids,
dreaming of mincing mice
she twitches a paw and smiles, as only cats can.

My moggie’s memories,
redolent with ancient morphic resonance,
are sanctified and sacred.

She knows full-well that she’s divine,
to be praised and appeased
is her god-given right.

Truth is, I’m her pet and we both know it.

[dizzydoll]

This is so cute, all cats are extraordinary. Ag, typical "dreaming malevolently of mincing mice". My stomach turned. No fault with this poem.

[PrinceMyshkin]

It's wonderful as far as it goes but it felt as if you were just clearing your throat to give us something longer.

[Hawkman]

diz, sorry to have turned your stomach but thanks for letting me know!

Prince, you are remarkably prescient, See below :)

Sabre-Tooth Dreams

I wonder, would kitty have sabre-tooth dreams,
And rather hunt mammoth than mice?
For if they were sabre-tooth fancies it seems
She would eat me in less than a trice.

Sometimes I catch a disquieting look,
A gleam in her eye more than thoughtful,
For if it were worth all the trouble it took
I reckon my fate would be awful.

Had I more than just one of these predatory cats,
They’d gang-up and hunt me in teams.
I see them quite clearly, arranged on the mats,
Just itching to hear all my screams.

But kitty’s alone and her fur is so soft
I don’t have a choice not to smooth it
She purrs so delightfully here in my croft
as she offers the gift of a blue-tit.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Wonderfully deft & agile but - am I wrong in thinking that the last line might benefit from the addition of one more beat or syllable? A problem as it is now is that the emphasis appears to fall on "blue" and therefore takes away the effect of the rhyme.

[Hawkman]

Yes, good point PM. I've tweeked it with a half rhyme. Thanks.

[hillwalker]

Brilliant piece again H - and hot off the press by the sound of it. Man, you must be a demon with that quill.....

[Hawkman]

Thanks hill. Been beavering away today but my favourite is in the Famous quoted line poetry strand. I really enjoyed writing that one! H

[Bar22do]

My unreserved admiration goes to whoever loves cats (I have three of them, Do is the queen mother, she has the looks of a prophetess, I keep her at home, just in case; Tara and Luno live in the garden, they are mother and son, making a great team when they hunt birds, to my distress. They both wait for me at the garden's wall even if I come back late - sorry for this long, uncontrollable digression).
Your thread-poem, Napping Cat, successfully takes the challenge to re-state the pleasure we all have at observing our cats' stately attitudes and nature, at letting them rule us. Thanks a lot for that.
Your second is a thrill that runs across my cats' fur as they sleep and dream... and I never knew they could dream of hunting mammoths! So it is a very instructive poem, too.

Sheer pleasure, Hawkman.

Thanks and all my warm wishes to you, Bar

P.S. I'd suggest you lose capital A in the line "Are sanctified and sacred", to me unjustified.

[hillwalker]

Hawk - just seen your ode to paintballing. Love it - and I'd even forgotten I'd posted one of my own efforts there!!

H

And since we're feeling catty, here's one I wrote about 40 years ago when I was still a teenager living on a farm with its fair share of stray cats. This was specifically about a grey tom called Julius (Julius Cheezer for some reason???)

CAT

Running up the yard after the Battle of Britain,
a laughing whisker and tiger chin tooth,
sleeping in a rat’s belly;
throwing it on the ground and attacking the target
in mock battle, assuring its deformity.
Pouncing on a fur pelt, rolling and ravaging
in the funny dust then stopping to watch the prize
at a paw’s distance. looking away
yet seeing it –
a sudden charge, a gut-bursting swipe
and it is really dead.
I am ready to eat you.

[Hawkman]

Thanks Bar for your generous praise, and I am heartily happy to hear you are a feline's slave. All the best people are you know. Sadly I don't have a cat at the mo. My last one had a heart attack on the stroke of new years day 2007. Very sad. You are right to point out the capital A, it was not supposed to be there, Word captializes first letter of the line and I have to constantly override it. This one escaped. I have fixed it.

Hill,
thanks for your unselfish appreciation of a rival poem :)

Thanks also for sharing your pussycat poem. Thoroughly enjoyed it. (love the name, Julius Cheezer. Outstanding!)

H

[hillwalker]

Thanks H - I think the cat's name originated in a kid's comic (?)

and the poem itself, well..... a typically embarassing example of adolescent jottings!

[Hawkman]

hill, vis the contest, I've just read the origional so now I get yours! Inspired sir, if I may say so. H

[Bar22do]

Almond eyes a-flicker beneath her beaming lids,
dreaming of mincing mice
she twitches a paw and smiles, as only cats can.

My moggie’s memories,
redolent with ancient morphic resonance,
are sanctified and sacred.

She knows full-well that she’s divine,
to be praised and appeased
is her god-given right.

Truth is, I’m her pet and we both know it.


I sympathize, for I have similar problems with my word... constantly beating down its first line capitalization - I know there is a way to get rid of it - but I don't know that way... and thus suffer when writing... maybe NeoOffice is easier to tame?

Thanks again for this nice poem - Bar

[MorpheusSandman]

I've always loved cats even though I've never had any (because I'm allergic to them), so I quite like reading about them. Pieces like this reminds me of curling up with my grandma's lap cat and then coming home with my eyes watering and nose running! They're certainly fascinating creatures. As for this piece, I think the first and third stanzas are the most interesting. I don't know if the shift from cats as a broad subject to your cat as a specific subject works.

[lallison]

light and lovely, a piece sure to strike a note with cat lovers like myself and others. Makes me wonder if more poets here are dog or cat people and if there is any real meaning behind that. From the unscientific sample above, it would seem the cat lovers have an edge.

[Hawkman]

Hi Morpheus,

Well, I’m sorry to read that you are allergic to cats, especially as you like them. A cruel jest by the gods.

I’m not sure I understand your comment on a transition between cats in general to a specific cat. The only generalisation in the piece is, “she twitches a paw and smiles, as only cats can.” All other references are singular. I only intended to write about one cat.

Thanks for dropping by and posting your comments.

lall,

Thanks for that. Actually I have nothing against dogs, but while I was growing up we only had cats, goldfish, hamsters, gerbils and budgies, oh and way back there was a rabbit called snowy (who used to eat plates). I always associate dogs with being working animals and generally the only ones I have any contact with these days are pointers or gun dogs of some description.

I don’t find them cuddly, as usually they are too big and heavy to fit on my lap.

Best, H

[blank|verse]

An enjoyable piece, Hawkman - there'll always be a place for poems about cats!

We used to have one when I was a kid and I've always envied them since.

As for them bringing birds as 'gifts', I read recently that it's thought they do this sometimes because they see you as their offspring and are trying to teach you to hunt. I remember the look of uncomprehending bewilderment and hurt on our cat's face when she would drop off a wren or decapitated mouse for my wildlife-loving parents.

[Hawkman]

Thanks B/V, I have to agree that cats are a fine inspiration and demand recognition in verse. The picture you paint of a feline tutorial in hunting brings back many a memory of tiny entrails deposited on the doorstep, as if by the mad hand of some malevolent and microscopic Jack the Ripper!

Best H

[tailor STATELY]

Amusing - just commented on Maryd's cat poem before reading this.

I'm allergic too - but have lots of kitties ! (I'm allergic to everything - so a kitty or two or ten doesn't matter).

More to read to the guys (and gals).

More kitty poems please !

[Hawkman]

Well thanks, tS. I'll get on it right away...

H

[MorpheusSandman]

I’m not sure I understand your comment on a transition between cats in general to a specific cat. The only generalisation in the piece is, “she twitches a paw and smiles, as only cats can.” All other references are singular. I only intended to write about one cat.

As I read it back again I can see what you're saying. I think the problem is that the first verse, even though it's technically talking about YOUR cat, could be talking about ANY cat. Perhaps you should move the part where you provide the name to the beginning (or near it)?

Anyway, this thread has reminded me of this, which always makes me laugh: http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/cat_will_kill_you.jpg

[Hawkman]

Morpheus, that is priceless, thank you so much! H