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| Photo by Mary Lee Hahn |
Sweet Little Kitty
Cat curls up tight,
closes eyes, purrs.
Disguised by sleep,
sinks down deep where
cat dreams are found
and stalks, soundless,
huge now, lethal.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2014
This is the poem I wrote for this week's Poetry Stretch at The Miss Rumphius Effect. The form is called "Climbing Rhyme." Each line can either have four words or four syllables. I went for syllables. The rhyme is internal. For more details, read this post. Here's a nice visual Tricia gave us to track the rhymes:
xxxa
xxax
xaxb
xxbx
xbxc
xxcx
xcxx
Besides hosting the weekly Poetry Stretch challenge (c'mon, folks, jump in and give them a try!), Tricia has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Go check out the week's offerings!
What a pretty kitty! I love it when the curl and turn their heads upside down. :) And I have often wondered about animal dreams... a mystery to dwell in. Thank you for your poem, and Happy Poetry Friday!
ReplyDeleteCats are the best. Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteI just want to know where you find the time to write such wonderful poetry AND read everyone else's blogs, Mary!
ReplyDeleteThat cat looks like it has the softest fur ever. So sweet. And what a wonderful poem. Your climbing rhyme is purrfect. :)
ReplyDeleteThe climbing rhyme! Well done. You've made me want to go where cat dreams are found... and I'm a dog person.
ReplyDeleteYour climbing rhyme seems effortless. As effortless as a cat's nap. I love what happens in the kitty's dream.
ReplyDeleteCat person here! Loved the climbing rhyme. I've never tried that form before, but you've made it look so effortless, you've inspired me! Thanks, Mary Lee! P.S. My cat is sleeping in a box right now, too. Weird kitties!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done, Mary Lee. I hope soon I can try some of these, you inspire me! Boxes, easy entertainment for kitties and kids!
ReplyDeleteGreat Climbing Rhyme, Mary Lee! I am not familiar with this form. Love the lines: "stalks, soundless,
ReplyDeletehuge now, lethal."
Sweet little kitty, indeed! = )
That's a pretty tough-looking form. Nice job! Around our house, we call boxes "cat traps."
ReplyDeleteThis poem came at just the right time for me, Mary Lee - I'm watching our new kitty closely these days, which is hugely entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your climbing rhyme, and for providing the diagram -- I do so much better trying new forms when I have a pattern to follow!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for accepting the challenge and succeeding so admirably. You had a great subject, too!
ReplyDeleteYes, I really must try to get over to the Monday Stretch more often...
ReplyDeleteI really like this form and was surprised how different the results were. I think you're right that housecats dream of being lethal!
I love having the visual to go with your poem, Mary Lee. Our cats used to be fond of hiding in paper grocery bags.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrific, Mary Lee! I agree with Liana; you make the climbing rhyme look effortless. Your last lines remind me of Nancy Tafuri's wordless picture book, Junglewalk. I'm sure it's out of print, but my boys loved it when they were little.
ReplyDeleteWow! I love the poem; it was fun to study the structure and see what you were doing with it. (I would have loved to be there to hear a "think aloud" as you were writing it!) In particular, I loved those sleep, deep, dreams lines, which seemed to stretch their legs before tucking them in.
ReplyDeleteAlso, great photo to go along with the poem. I liked the higher angled shot that emphasized the sheltering lid of the box.
Nice job on this!
ReplyDeleteWe have boxes all over the kitchen for our cats to nap in, especially during this latest cold snap. Your poem climbs masterfully. I'm not familiar with this form. "disguised by sleep, slips down deep."
ReplyDelete