I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

10 March 2013

The Gift of Feathers


She gets it wrong sometimes, my little cat,
although she reads my mind with perfect ease.
Like, once I found a feather at my door;
a friend said my late husband left it there,
a sign of love from Spirit — I was glad
to think he might have left me such a token.

She must have thought that if a single token
so gladdened me, then she, efficient cat,
could find a gift to make me tenfold glad —
and she could manage that with feline ease
as soon as opportunity was there.
Next day I found a whole bird at my door.

Oh, I was ill at ease and far from glad
to find it there, that corpse outside my door!
Yet it betokened all her love ... dear cat.


This mini-sestina form is the brain-child of Australian poet Myron Lysenko
though he suspects he is not the first to make such an adaptation.

This poem is submitted for Poets United's Poetry Pantry #141

23 comments:

  1. Ah! And the moment is now immortalized.
    Beautiful, Rosemary.

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    1. Yes, an absolutely true story. Glad you enjoyed the telling. :)

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  2. Our cat brings in gifts too - birds, mice, shrews. Yoiks! Loved your sweet poem, Rosemary.

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  3. ha! :) Her heart was in the right place!

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  4. The feather was a very touching gesture.....the body of the bird not so much! At least she didn't drag it into the house...LOL.

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    1. No, but she did bring in a slaughtered gecko a day or so later. :(

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  5. smiles...my cat has left me similar treasures...i like that you attribute it to her heart for you...my cat is def loving...smiles.

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    1. Cat experts say it is their way of trying to teach us to hunt - inept creatures that we appear to them.

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  6. Well, cats & poetry...love them both. I love this!

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  7. wow, your cat can certainly read your mind. though there might be a little problem with the booty. :)

    enjoyed the read.

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  8. I have seen variations on sestina before, but i like this one. The repetitions do not become forced. Love your tale of kitty love.

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    1. It was still hard to work them in, even so. I'm glad they don;t appear forced. :)

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  9. A mini-sestina... what a pleasurable read. You deftly convey a string of common occurrences in a completely new way. And it is lovely.

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    1. Once I saw Myron talking about this form in his facebook page, I had to give it a try! You know how it is. :-D

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  10. this was fun.reminded me of tweety and the cat.

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  11. It's a clever cat with warmth! The feather was ok but the bird carcass, a bit morbid. The love feelings that prompted it saved the day. Nicely Rosemary!

    Hank

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  12. Love comes in so many guises. Really like the form and how it flows. Thank you,

    Elizabeth

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  13. Oh, this made me laugh! Marvelous work!

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  14. Thanks everyone. I'm so glad you enjoyed this. It was fun to write.

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  15. Rosemary, thank you for your lovely comment about me at Poets United. I am still blushing from all the nice things folks said about me.

    I grew up in the country and once in a while, our cat Sadie would meow like her mouth was full... and it usually was. She was a mouser, ratter, rabbiter (sad), and of course, a birder. We'd all go out and pet her and say, "What a smart kitty," etc., and get her treats, while one person stayed behind, rubber gloved, to pick up the "trinket" and fling it into the "back forty"!

    Thanks for conjuring a nice memory. Peace, Amy

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  16. The thought of mini - sestina is very nice. The full 39 lines can be Sisyphean both to write and to read. Loved the story of the little cat.

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