ARE YOU A POET AND DON'T KNOW IT? by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer

April was National Poetry Month, and a writing group that I belong to decided to do something different to celebrate their annual poetry slam, Verse of Ages. The Oregon Writers Colony came up with the idea several years ago to invite poets of all ages to read their work. The first events showcased people from age ten to ninety. From there, it morphed into something more generational, from Greatest to boomers to X and wherever we are now. That was fun as well, especially the kids who got up and recited some of their original poems.

But then came Covid. Last year’s Verse of Ages didn’t happen at all, but by the time 2021 rolled around, everybody knew how to Zoom and there was no way we were going to give up our affair two years running.

Since everything had changed, the coordinator thought it might be fun to change up the format as well, so at the beginning of April, she sent out a prompt word for every day of the month. There were no rules: do or do not; do some or all; write separate poems, or like one person did, incorporate all thirty words into a single poem. At the beginning of May, we all got virtually together to share our results.

Some of us are actual poets, where others had never touched the genre. I write the occasional poem and have even published a little book of cat poems, but I don’t consider myself a poet by any means. Still this prompt-a-day idea caught my imagination. I missed some days and skipped or made up for them later, but I got a lot out of it. Now I’ll share a few with you.

 

 April 2 PATHWAY

 

Pathways

 

We walk the edge of the abyss,

fragile as moth wings

but with a phoenix heart.

 

  April 6 JOURNEY

 

Don’t they say

life is all about the journey,

not the destination?

 

Still, sometimes I wish

I could get off this bumpy stagecoach

and rest by a tree,

by a lake,

under the long sky,

to finally call it home.

Photo by Yi Liu on Unsplash

 

April 10 ANSWER

 

If love is the answer,

then what is the question?

 

What comes after loss?

How do I deal?

Why are we here?

What makes us human?

What keeps us sane?

Why do I have so many cats?

 

April 12 GRACE

 

My Aunt Grace

was old and scary,

with penciled eyebrows

too high upon her forehead

and a red mouth

full of frowns.

 

I recall her at her vanity

like a nineteenth-century

memento mori,

black lace shrouding scrawny shoulders.

A tiny dragon,

she hovers over her hoards of

costume jewelry.

Rubies and emeralds,

sapphires and diamonds—

but not even their sparkle

can bring life

to that pale face.

 

 April 15 DANCING

 

At night,

when we’re in bed,

the cats go dancing.

Cheek to cheek,

they twirl across the floor.

to the tunes of the mouse band.

Missy in her ball gown and

Tom in his tux,

around and around they cavort

until the crack of dawn.

 

No wonder

when we come down

the next morning,

the cats are fast asleep.

 

 

Photo by Mary J. Friedrich on Unsplash

April 27 SATCHEL

 

Somebody was running out of prompts

when they chose the word satchel.

No one uses that word anymore.

It’s briefcase or suitcase, bag, purse, or tote,

It’s knapsack, backpack, or pouch.

But satchel, old satchel,

has gone the way of the saddlebag,

to lie lost at the back of the closet

with the dial telephone and

the reel-to-reel tapes.

 

 

About Mollie Hunt: Native Oregonian Mollie Hunt has always had an affinity for cats, so it was a short step for her to become a cat writer. Mollie Hunt writes the award-winning Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Cat Seasons sci-fantasy tetralogy where cats save the world. She also pens a bit of cat poetry. 

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like Lynley, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: www.lecatts.wordpress.com

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/

@MollieHuntCats