Song and Dance
Song and Dance
Dear Miss,
she seems to say
with her gentle mews.
Dear Miss,
she croons,
as she slips through my legs,
skimming my ankles
with her silken fur.
Dear Miss,
she mews again,
I’ll happily sing and dance
for just a small turn
of the doorknob.
This is our beautiful cat, Scout. I don’t really think the name suits her, but we named her after the character in To Kill a Mockingbird before she joined our family. She’s an indoor cat, but she thinks she wants to be a hunter. We love imagining what Scout might say if she could talk. Here’s your mission, should you choose to accept it: Write a poem from an animal’s point of view. What would your pet (or some other animal) say if s/he could speak? And, how would s/he say it?
For more Poetry Friday, visit Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
© Elizabeth Steinglass, 2014, all rights reserved
Hi, Liz. I love the photograph — a double dose of Scout, your real kitty and her reflection in the glass. I haven’t written a poem from my dog’s point of view, but we do have a family song parody in his honor.
Oh? Let’s hear it!
So cute! Lovely poem too. Thinking thinking
This is funny when I make you think I want to go out
But I turn and veer and steer you to the biscuit cupboard.
This is funny.
It sounds like you have a tricky pet.
In the days when it was too cold for walks she jumped up at me all day. She learns too much from the kids 😉
Love this, Liz! My cat’s name is Cupcake. I’ve written several poems about her, but none from her point of view. That’s a fun idea to toy with. I have a feeling, though, that I will be repeating the line, “But I’m so beautiful…” throughout this poem. She’s a very arrogant kitty. Thanks for sharing!
Perhaps Cupcake’s poem would use a repeating form?
Usually I feel as though we are at our cats’ beck and call, but your poem shows that they have to work for it a little 🙂
I haven’t written a poem about it (yet?), but our lovebird included a pistachio (in its shell) with her clutch earlier this week.
I definitely want to know more about that pistachio.
Scout is gorgeous, Liz, and her poem suits her, “Dear Miss she croons” – love it!
Here is a poem from my flatulent dog, Smidgey’s POV:
I stretch, I shift –
my fuzzy bottom I lift.
I let out a toot –
how quickly my people scoot!
I think we need a poem for two voices–Scout and Smidgey!
What a wonderful picture & she is beautiful, Liz. I like your sweetly ‘soft’ poem, just like Scout. I don’t have pets anymore but have had several dogs and cats through the years. I’ll think about writing from one of their POVs! Thanks for reminding me how lovely it is to have a pet!
It is lovely to have a pet. It is also lovely to have the freedom associated with not having a pet.
Three cheers for cat poems! I got inside Sir William’s head to think about his dreams in my poem! I need to see if I can find his voice. Mostly his voice is very demanding. He loves food most of all.
Yes, I loved the way you imagined Sir William’s image of himself in his dreams.
What a beautiful cat! Cat poems have been a Poetry Friday trend for a while. Maybe we should conduct a survey to see if more poets have cats or dogs? We are currently without pets, and I had just one terribly mean cat growing up. I’ve always wanted a big, loving lap warmer, though!
Occasionally, Scout curls up in my lap while I am writing. It’s just perfect when she does.
How can I not love a poem about a cat? I’m sitting next to one right now. Her little jaw is chattering as she watches the sparrows outside the window.
I love that chattering jaw. Scout just flips her tail menacingly.
Scout is lovely! Your poem is sweet in every way.
Thanks, Heidi!
Love Scout and her poem! Our kitty is a love, but I think I’ll have to try writing from our beagle, Lucy’s point of view. Thanks for the inspiration!
I hope I’ve inspired a poem!
A beautiful cat with a sweet Dear Miss poem. Thanks for the inspiration. Animals fill our lives. My dog would say “ball, ball, ball, just throw the ball.” Kay Ryan’s poem “Fool’s Errands’ is about my dog:
“To
loop out and
come back is
good all alone.
It’s gravy to
carry a ball
or a bone.”
I guess you didn’t post this week (2/7), Liz? Just as well since I missed your wonderful post last week! Happy to have a second chance to comment on your GORGEOUS kitty cat, FABULOSO photo, and PURRFECT poem that makes me want to pick Scout up and give her a cuddle (even if she would prefer “a small turn of the doorknob”). I’m inspired by your challenge to write a similar poem, thanks!