The Ballad of Catigan's Mile, Cat Poetry and a Challenge

Hello everyone!

I first proposed this in 2008, but got no takers, and think that it's time to once again make the challenge that is at the heart of this post. ;-D

Daddy, and his efforts at poetry over the years, inspired me to give it a shot, and I've written many poems since this first one, all of which can be found in this part of Meowsings...Creative Meowsings of a Poetic, and Storytelling, Pussycat. ;-D

So here goes!

The Ballad of Catigan’s Mile

(With apologies to The Castaways and George Wyle and Sherwood Schwartz) 

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this backyard porch
After everyone had catnip.

The scaredy cat was a mighty Turkish Van,
The leader a Pixie-Bob and sure.
Five neighbors joined them that day
For a short little tour, a short little tour.

A passing Dog went woof, woof woof,
But the tiny group was sloshed,
If not for the courage of the fearless two
Their lives would have been lost, their lives would have been lost.

They ran until their legs were sore for one whole mile
There was Catigan
Skipper too,
The Abyssinian and his mate,
The Egyptian Mau
The Siamese and Siberian,
Running for a frantic mile.

So this is the tale of the indoor cats who went astray,
They've been missing for a long, long time,
They'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.

The scaredy cat and the Pixie-Bob too,
Will do their very best,
To get the others back home again,
To their warm and comfy nests.

No tuna, no Meow Mix, no fish flakes in jars,
Not a single Litter Box,
Like Kitty Catusoe,
As primative as can be.

So join us here each week my friends,
You're sure to laugh and smile,
Over seven cats who went astray,
Down along "Catigan's Mile."

Words have meaning.

They can evoke the whole spectrum of emotions in those who read, or hear them.

They can inspire a Cat, or Dog to great deeds, and to terrible ones as well.

And that's just the effect of too much Catnip, or , um, what IS the equivalent for Dogs anyway?

Seriously, all manner of literature exists that this applies to.

One genre is that of Poetry.

From the simple, and short, to the long, and involved, the various forms of the Poetic Tradition have had a hold on the imaginations of feline, Canine, and human for thousands of years.

Consider the HAIKU:

3 Lines:

5 syllables.
7 syllables.
5 syllables. 

Here are my contributions:

Nikita is Nine
He thinks that really is fine
So does his Daddy

I like the Catnip
Yes I do, I do, I do!
Please do not run out!

Fleas are annoying.
I hate scratching them all day.
Bring on Advantage!

Indoor Cheshire Cat
To see world outside needs leash
Thanks Dad, you the best!

Big bowl full of fish
Temptingly swimming near me
Great! I am starving!

Then there is the TANKA:

5 lines:

5 syllables.
7 syllables.
5 syllables.
7 syllables.
7 syllables.

God bless the pussycat
A creature fun, brave, and smart
Loved, it gives love back
In your time of greatest need
may you have one at your side

And finally, consider the uniquely American equivalent of the Haiku.

The CINQUAIN:

5 lines:

2 syllables.
4 syllables.
6 syllables.
8 syllables.
2 syllables.

The Cat
Playful creature
Always looking, nosey
High, low, dark, big, small, all fair game
Brave Puss

Oh, and don't forget the Limerick!

A light humorous, nonsensical, or bawdy verse of five anapestic lines usually with the rhyme scheme AABBA.

There once was a kitty writing on a Blog
Whose efforts readers raised in toast their Grog
So he continues to write
During the day and the night
The urge in others to do it to he hopes to jog

There lives a Cat in Santa Ana
In his house he is Top Banana
A lone roommate is he
For his Human Companion, you see
So that's why he is #1 in his cabana

I'm issuing a challenge to the Cat Blogosphere!!

The "Discover Your Poetic Pussycat" Challenge

Put your thoughts about all things Cat, from A TO Z, all that is good, and great, unique and wonderful, confounding, and controversial, about our species, into the lines of these simple poetic forms.

Traditionally Haiku begin with a natural scene tied to a season, and Tankas also begin with an observation of a natural scene.

But that's tradition, and you don't have to follow it, on any of these forms, if you don't want to.

Just avoid end-rhyming the lines (Except with Limericks, of course!!), try to vary the rythms from line to line, and you can keep a sentence moving to the next line if you choose.

Also try to avoid ending too many lines in a row with a one-syllable word.

Got it? ;-D

If you use an entry of your blog to try your hand at this exercise, trackback to this post, or send me an e-mail (See sidebar - Copy & Paste, & Squeeze together, you know the drill!), and I will do a round-up of links to all who take the challenge.

To anyone WITHOUT a blog... post your poems as a comment to this post.

If you decide to send me a poem, or 3, in e-mail, instead, I'll post a collection of those I get, and give credit where credit is due.

The deadline for submissions, and links, is February 14th, and I will do a post, or 2, depending on the response, on February 21st.

***2/13 - Deadline has been extended to Midnight of the 18th!!***

Don't be shy.

Everyone's a winner just for participating!

You see, I don't consider it a "Contest" with winners, and losers, as tastes in poetry are as varied as those who read, and write it.

  

With a "Challenge" everyone who tries their hand wins, not just by finding new ideas for blog posts, and getting new readers, but by discovering a talent in themselves that they might want to continue exploring as part of their blogging.

  

Daddy & I have always explored our writing talent, and found ways to share not just our poems, but writing prompt ideas, too, and we hope that by doing so we will inspire other Kitties, and their humans to join the fun.

  

I will be doing so in this section of Meowsings: Creative Meowsings of a Poetic, and Storytelling, Pussycat

  

If this initial challenge proves popular I will consider making it a monthly Festival of Creativity. ;-D

So borrow your Human's dictionary to check your syllables. ;-D

Discover your inner Shakespussy, Henry Wadsplay Longkitty, Edgar Allan Pussycat, Emily Dickincat, Mouser Twain, George Cabot Longhair, and others! ;-D

***UPDATE - 2/21***

The Discover Your Poetic Pussycat Challenge: Cat Poetry, and a Challenge Taken Up!

 

***END UPDATE***

Comments

[Cats of Wildcat Woods]

This sounds like fun - can we post our poems on our blog?

Mom loves to write Haikus!

***EDITER'S UPDATE - 2/15***

The Cats have posted a Haiku! Stay Tuned!

***END UPDATE***

[Nikita Cat]

Yes!

Post on your blog!

That's the point, for the Cat Blogger, especially.

Share you talent, and introduce your blog, to a wider, new, audience! ;-D

If you can't do trackbacks to this post, then just send me the link to your post at the e-mail in the sidebar.

[Harry Spotter]

Great poem.

That takes a lot of skill.

Very impressive.

[nels-ed-nitro-xing lu pierce]

Thanks!

This was kinda fun!

We will post our haiku on friday, 5 Feb. If you decides to make this a monthly thing, we promises to try to keep up!

edmund, nitro, xing, an' igmu

[Fin]

What a cool idea, nice to meet you!

[Nikita]

Cool!

Glad you are interested.

Let us know when you have the post up, and the link. ;-D

 

[Feline Denizens of the House of Chaos]

Our Mistress writes poetry sometimes, and this one she put on our blog 4 years ago (that blog don't exist no more, we've a new one now) and here it is:

purr-force

Why do cats purr ? I am not sure
but it might be a warning system
that happiness is to overflow
may spring from safe boundaries

contained inside this soft fur-ball
is an explosion of sensations
and what you hear are the workings
of a genuine purrclear reactor

fear ye not this strange radiation
that springs from a silken throat
in an endless rumbling soothing sound
that is the purr - essence of happiness

She's got some more, but this we think is the best one.

Thank you for reminding us that humans can make strange but amusing sounds (You should hear Mistress "declaiming" such poems... rotfl).

Lots of purrs from the Feline Denizens of the House of Chaos...

[Rahel]

Nikita, if you don't smack those who give you no trouble, what do you do about those who give you skritches?

(Sigh. I wish I could.)

[Noll]

Hello...Noll would like to submit a Haiku. It was written for his blog and it is about a hairball.

***EDITOR - And a very Cool Haiku it is, too!

Stay tuned everyone! ;-D***

[Kipper]

One should love Cats.

They are so tasty! ;-D