I have oft written of dog poems because I am a dog guy. That’s why I disapprove of such crazy commandments as the 11th, “Thou shalt not write a poem about dogs.”
But what about cats? As I have little patience for their kind, I feel more sympathetic toward “no cat” rules. After all, cat pics clutter Internet feeds cholesterol clogged King Henry VIII’s arteries. Said pics can be found in the dictionary under “clichés” as opposed to “cute.”
Still, I’d be foolish and inconsistent to rule in dogs’ favor while wishing cats their tenth lives. And so it is that I advise writers who love one or the other or both to go forth and multiply your creative efforts (the 12th Commandment).
No less a poet than Marge Piercy did so (see below and meet me at the bend):
A Republic of Cats
Marge Piercy
Nobody rules. They all
take turns. I can never
tell who will chase who
playing war over the couch
and chairs, round and
round again until suddenly
they stop as if a whistle
blew in their heads.
Five of them, aged fifteen
to two. Who will curl
together making one cushion
of patchwork fur? Who
will painstakingly lick
a friend, washing and
cuddling. Who will growl
at their friend of last hour?
The one rule is where each
sleeps at night, their spot
in the bed and with whom.
It is written in bone.
Writing about pets starts with scientific observation. With that data, the writer turns to more creatively figurative ideas and goes for it. The writer must! Dogs and cats are too well known not to.
For me, all credit in this poem goes to the start (“Nobody rules.”) and the end (“It is written in bone.”). Hook the reader from the start, less you lose that impatient-as-all-get-out customer (and think of it—no two words better capture “cat-dom” than those).
Then comes the end. Your poem depends on a final flourish. Something memorable. Something with panache. If sleeping spots are as important to cats as lunchroom table spots are to middle schoolers, then say it in style: The rule “is written in bone.”
Now go watch your cats and dogs with a notebook, why don’t you. Take notes. Then make like clumsy Moses and break some commandments.
6 thoughts on “Writing (vs. Fighting) Like Cats and Dogs”
Nice kitty poem by Piercy. I especially like the last line. The heart of my new collection is three cat poems. Here’s the last one. I find our two cats endlessly fascinating. I do believe they live in a parallel reality to our pathetic species.
CAT & APOCALYPSE
I’m watching our little black cat
sitting in the sink, drinking
from the faucet, her eyes closed
in ecstasy. When the world ends, I won’t mourn my fucked-up species.
I’ll regret our cat’s moment of terror
when the water turns to flame.
Good to hear from a cat man (for balance). Nice poem. Captures both cats and the damned human race!
Is this book available on Amazon, Carter7878? I want more.
Not on Amazon, but available for sure.
Thanks for giving equal time and rights to my side of the fence, though I do love dog poems, too. Percy writes a lot of great cat poems. I’ve had reasonable success placing some cat poems of my own. One was even in a British cat-themed issue of a journal. The trick is to catch them in a quirkier moment and not simply observe how adorably cute and cuddly they are. Fortunately, cats specialize in quirkly.
Oops! Something screwed up the formatting. Here’s the real kitty poem!
CAT & APOCALYPSE
I’m watching our little black cat
sitting in the sink, drinking
from the faucet, her eyes closed
in ecstasy. When the world ends,
I won’t mourn my fucked-up species.
I’ll regret our cat’s moment of terror
when the water turns to flame.