Lovely poem. I know what you mean by “cat poems”, in italics - I read something some time ago about how one should never write them. But honestly, I don’t care; there’s an exception to every rule - evocative and delightful!
This poem made so many pictures in my mind. Hearing you read it starts a mental movie of this cat. I can see it all illustrated or animated as I listen to you. Thank you, Elizabeth ⭐️
Now I'm seeing that animation in my mind too! What a clever kitty, keeping our imaginations so busy. Love to you and all your friends at the B&DH, Jeni. 🌙🐈💛
What a delight this is, Elizabeth. If this one is my gauge, I'd say an academic approach to poetry is overrated. Curiously, my post today also featured a sky-kitty in a very different way. We both opted in on the word yowl, though.
The visual here, and the creative imagination, brought my own crescent grin. Lovely way to wrap up a day.
Oh, I'll look forward to your sky-kitty, Elizabeth! Events have overtaken my reading today, but I'm happy to know he's waiting for me. Glad that this moon-cat could make you smile today.
I think this IS an academic poem though! Academic in the sense that you could use it in a classroom to talk about poetic techniques and how they are working in the poem. Sensory description, literary allusion, personification, delightful imagery... playful poetry that makes you look at the world in a new way is so worthwhile. I love this!
When I was probably twelve I wrote a poem about the moon I was VERY proud of.
The Moon so shadowy but bright
It has a misty magical light.
I love the way it seems to Shimmer
Then a cloud passes to make it dimmer.
Oh gosh. The thrill of getting that rhyme. I think it might be an unparalleled moment of writing satisfaction. 🤣
So fun to go down memory lane to your poem from 14 years ago and mine from 30 years ago. Thank you!
Figuring out how to rhyme "shimmer" is definitely a highlight for a twelve-year-old poet! :-) Thanks for sharing those lines, Abigail -- and thank you for such a generous and inclusive perspective on academic poems. It would make my day to tiptoe into the back of a classroom and hear someone teaching from this poem...!
I have seen the Cheshire cat's moon grin before, but never have I wondered how he climbed up to those dizzying heights nor how or why he came down again. The image of him clambering across the sky is delightful. I'll never look at the grinning cat quite the same way again.
Well, now, I ask you, how can a day that starts with the poem like this anything but good?
I went back and read it again, smiling. Although I will be honest, the first time through I found myself wishing you’d left the cat up there, ever climbing higher in the world-tree. I would’ve been fine with that, but maybe the cat wouldn’t.
You make the distinction between your writing and an academic approach to poetry, and that might be what I think of as “real poetry“, that how do they do that ‘something’ on the other side of the plate glass bakery window, the one with all the nose smudges mysteriously wiped away fresh every morning.
O damn, the morning alarm has summoned me out of the moon tree, before I could ask you how you fit these lines into the constraints of the substack poetry character limit, into which we have to contort our long-haired dirty faced barefoot dancing in the rain lines. Perhaps another day.
Oh my, what a vivid and eloquent read your poem is! Thank you so much for offering it, and for reading and enjoying this one.
There's a Substack poetry character limit...? I haven't met that yet. Thank goodness. I once foisted an entire sestina on my unsuspecting readers, and Substack didn't blink.
So when I have copied and pasted in things into substack, I use the poetry option to retain the format of the line breaks, but if my lines are too long, it cuts it off and runs it down into the next line to finish. Not sure if that makes sense. Let me know if you need clarification.
I have a friend at work who has been having a challenging year, and her mother just passed away very recently. I asked her how she was this morning, and she said, “I’m here.” I told her, I have something for you, and I printed up the picture and the poem and gave them to her, and she read the poem, and smiled.
When I click on new post, and then more, and then poetry, then I am subject to the line limits. So I find myself editing lines to make them fit, and I don’t love that because my writing is really dependent upon the sound scape.
I’m not thrilled with runover lines but I’ve made my peace with them — one business-cost we pay to appear on the printed “page.” I’ve read books of poems with the occasional runover line and it hasn’t slowed down my enjoyment of the poems; I guess I hope my readers and yours will give us that much grace.
Lovely poem. I know what you mean by “cat poems”, in italics - I read something some time ago about how one should never write them. But honestly, I don’t care; there’s an exception to every rule - evocative and delightful!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Thomas. Sometimes a cat poem just sneaks up on you ... not unlike a cat.
🙂
“The slender lamp of his grin a contradiction to stealth…”
Creative observations transformed into yet another fine poem.
Thank you, sister Looocinda! 🌙🐈💛
I love “to where twigs and air thin / into stars” - something about making air so embodied here somehow heightens the magic of it all! Lovely!
Don't tell anyone, but I quite like those lines, my own self! Thanks so much for reading, Francesca.
I love this poem Elizabeth. I can see the cat winding its way up to the chimney and basking in the glow of the moon.
So glad you enjoyed it, Pamela. Thanks for reading.
This poem made so many pictures in my mind. Hearing you read it starts a mental movie of this cat. I can see it all illustrated or animated as I listen to you. Thank you, Elizabeth ⭐️
Now I'm seeing that animation in my mind too! What a clever kitty, keeping our imaginations so busy. Love to you and all your friends at the B&DH, Jeni. 🌙🐈💛
Such fun, and a pleasure to read. Would probably make a very visually charming children's story. thanks
Thanks so much, Wes!
I loved listening to you read this! Delightful poem<3
Thanks so much for listening and reading, Kristi. (For commenting and restacking, too!) 🌙🐈💛
This poem is delicious. The language, the imagery--so delightful.
Thank you, Margaret Ann -- and thank you for your restack, which captures some of my (shh, don't tell) favorite lines from this one. 🌙🐈💛
😊
Aki likes this the best of all your poems so far, Elizabeth. I like it too, and will be looking at the sky a little differently tonight. :-)
🌙🐈💛
What a delight this is, Elizabeth. If this one is my gauge, I'd say an academic approach to poetry is overrated. Curiously, my post today also featured a sky-kitty in a very different way. We both opted in on the word yowl, though.
The visual here, and the creative imagination, brought my own crescent grin. Lovely way to wrap up a day.
Oh, I'll look forward to your sky-kitty, Elizabeth! Events have overtaken my reading today, but I'm happy to know he's waiting for me. Glad that this moon-cat could make you smile today.
I think this IS an academic poem though! Academic in the sense that you could use it in a classroom to talk about poetic techniques and how they are working in the poem. Sensory description, literary allusion, personification, delightful imagery... playful poetry that makes you look at the world in a new way is so worthwhile. I love this!
When I was probably twelve I wrote a poem about the moon I was VERY proud of.
The Moon so shadowy but bright
It has a misty magical light.
I love the way it seems to Shimmer
Then a cloud passes to make it dimmer.
Oh gosh. The thrill of getting that rhyme. I think it might be an unparalleled moment of writing satisfaction. 🤣
So fun to go down memory lane to your poem from 14 years ago and mine from 30 years ago. Thank you!
Figuring out how to rhyme "shimmer" is definitely a highlight for a twelve-year-old poet! :-) Thanks for sharing those lines, Abigail -- and thank you for such a generous and inclusive perspective on academic poems. It would make my day to tiptoe into the back of a classroom and hear someone teaching from this poem...!
I have seen the Cheshire cat's moon grin before, but never have I wondered how he climbed up to those dizzying heights nor how or why he came down again. The image of him clambering across the sky is delightful. I'll never look at the grinning cat quite the same way again.
He's glad you know more about him, Melanie! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I've seen the "grin without a cat," as well. Your poem captures it perfectly!
Thanks, Donald!
I love it
And of course I always converse with everything. Sometimes they even seem to answer
What is an academic approach to poetry? I'm asking in all seriousness for I truly don't know many things, especially here
So glad you liked it, Chen!
People who want poets to have developed views on prosody (no clue, honestly) are some that I suspect of approaching poetry in an academic way.
Well, now, I ask you, how can a day that starts with the poem like this anything but good?
I went back and read it again, smiling. Although I will be honest, the first time through I found myself wishing you’d left the cat up there, ever climbing higher in the world-tree. I would’ve been fine with that, but maybe the cat wouldn’t.
You make the distinction between your writing and an academic approach to poetry, and that might be what I think of as “real poetry“, that how do they do that ‘something’ on the other side of the plate glass bakery window, the one with all the nose smudges mysteriously wiped away fresh every morning.
O damn, the morning alarm has summoned me out of the moon tree, before I could ask you how you fit these lines into the constraints of the substack poetry character limit, into which we have to contort our long-haired dirty faced barefoot dancing in the rain lines. Perhaps another day.
Have a so-called poem back, if you like. https://substack.com/@ontheotherhand124816/p-133951693
Oh my, what a vivid and eloquent read your poem is! Thank you so much for offering it, and for reading and enjoying this one.
There's a Substack poetry character limit...? I haven't met that yet. Thank goodness. I once foisted an entire sestina on my unsuspecting readers, and Substack didn't blink.
Thank you for taking the time to read that.
So when I have copied and pasted in things into substack, I use the poetry option to retain the format of the line breaks, but if my lines are too long, it cuts it off and runs it down into the next line to finish. Not sure if that makes sense. Let me know if you need clarification.
I have a friend at work who has been having a challenging year, and her mother just passed away very recently. I asked her how she was this morning, and she said, “I’m here.” I told her, I have something for you, and I printed up the picture and the poem and gave them to her, and she read the poem, and smiled.
Ah! Yes, I’ve had that happen. Squeaked under its cut-off limits this time, by luck or the intervention of the moon-cat.
When I click on new post, and then more, and then poetry, then I am subject to the line limits. So I find myself editing lines to make them fit, and I don’t love that because my writing is really dependent upon the sound scape.
I’m not thrilled with runover lines but I’ve made my peace with them — one business-cost we pay to appear on the printed “page.” I’ve read books of poems with the occasional runover line and it hasn’t slowed down my enjoyment of the poems; I guess I hope my readers and yours will give us that much grace.
Love this one.
Thanks so much, MK!