Tabatha Yeatts invented the Poetry Swap. I have been writing a poem each week to send out to my assigned Poetry Buddy. This week I received a poem from Tabatha herself. And she knows I have cats. The featured cat in my photos is our house cat, Mimi. These thirteen ways of looking at Emma could easily be about Mimi. She enjoyed hanging out on Tabatha’s poem while I wrote at the computer.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Emma
By Tabatha Yeatts
with thanks to W.S.
for M.S. and E.I
The tail moved
always —
before,
during,
and after.
There was never a time
the tail’s journey was over.II
The cat’s nose
in the dog’s ear —
whispering love poems
with her whiskers.III
Anything can be hidden
on the ceiling.
No one looks up.
Except the cat.IV
The cat walks across the board game.
The whims of fate
cast furry shadows.V
Only the spiral circles
of pacing and waiting
can express the longing
the scent of chicken
incites.VI
The cat’s bones
ripple
like a pebble
dropped
in a water dish.VII
Sleeping upright,
paws hidden,
tail delicately curving
around her side,
the memory of deity
remains.VIII
The cat,
guardian, silent companion,
desires to be close to the rabbit,
as the tree guards the moss,
as the leaf guards the air,
as the earth guards the moon.IX
A plane can take you far from the world,
but a cat can always bring you to it.X
The cat discerns the approaching rain,
spins, and returns so adroitly
you might never imagine
that was not her original direction.XI
Next to the cat,
the man sneezes.
The cat licks her side.XII
One cat stalks a darting fly.
Her sister leaves her sleeping post
only to find another.XIII
Shadows fall around the cat,
the icy gray fingers of age ruffle her fur;
the cat gets up
and moves.
Beautiful poem by Tabatha, and I love the way you connected up your cat photos, Margaret. That one verse brings back my former cat,
“The cat discerns the approaching rain,
spins, and returns so adroitly
you might never imagine
that was not her original direction.” Such an exact telling about cats!
How perfect for you and Mimi! Thanks for sharing the poem and your photos.
Love the photo of Mimi poem-napping!
Wonderful 13-way poem! I just have to do the poetry swap next year. Thanks for letting me enjoy it vicariously!
Ooh! Ahh! Lucky you to get a poem from Tabatha! So perfect for your Mimi!!
Especially loved verse VI – that’s exactly the way an about-to-pounce cat looks! And Mimi looks well pleased with the poem, too.
Great poem, I love this:
Anything can be hidden
on the ceiling.
No one looks up.
Except the cat.
My first swap poem came from Tabatha!
I like this stanza:
“Next to the cat,
the man sneezes.
The cat licks her side.”
–fastidious cat!
I found it so relaxing reading this poem. Cats are so very “zen” and Tabatha communicates that beautifully. I love how Mimi just took possession of this poem, as if it were her own.
I love this poem and all things cat. I’m missing my two cats terribly. At the moment we’re a household without pets–unless you count the broody chicken who keeps trying to break in! I especially love this:
II
The cat’s nose
in the dog’s ear —
whispering love poems
with her whiskers.