Poetry Friday: Houdini
All day long
He hides
From view,
In the darkness
Under beds,
In the corners
Children dread.
Then at night
He skims
The walls,
The shadow
Of a cat
Long gone.
Three of the best things about visiting Grandma are her two large dogs and her cat, Houdini. Unfortunately, Houdini doesn’t seem to enjoy our visits. He hides day and night, so seeing him is a special treat.
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(c) 2013 Elizabeth Ehrenfest Steinglass, all rights reserved
Some cats just do not like “their” days, & nights, disturbed. Your Houdini must have been so happy when you left. Love the line “In the corners/Children dread.”
What a great poem. You know, when I read it before reading your comments, it gave me chills because I thought it was about a kitty no longer living. (We’ve lost a couple in recent years.) Glad to know Houdini is alive and well – just hiding during your visits!
What a great poem, Liz! I love that the cat’s name is Houdini. Glad you were able to get a picture of him 🙂
Love your poem, Liz. Very effective! Glad you were able to get a picture of the elusive Houdini!
Hi Linda, Robyn, and BJ,
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. I caught Houdini hiding on the top shelf of Grandma’s closet. I had to lighten the picture quite a bit so you could see him.
Liz
Hi, Liz. I love the last image of your poem. Poor, frightened kitty. I thought of T.S. Eliot’s cats and their secret names, too.
We love trying to guess cats’ secret names.
Awww.. he does look like a child of the night, Houdini. 🙂 Lovely poem.
Thanks Myra. He really would hide all day and sneak out at night to eat in peace.
Love your poem, Liz! Houdini is quite the magician with his disappearing acts…he lives up to his name.
Great name for a hiding cat!
We have a cat like that. Just prefers the two humans she knows best. The poem conveys this cat’s personality well, and with just two verbs!
Joyce,
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. Would you believe I hadn’t noticed there are only two verbs?
My goal was to give a sense of Houdini’s personality so I guess I can consider this a success.
Happy New Year!
Liz