Category Archives: Digital Art & Photos

old friend

Merlin at One Hundred Years
old friend

Merlin will be 100
in cat years in a few
short months
a mischievous
imp he is
with fading eyes
and random patches
of gray, a toothless
mouth that pouts
when he mews, but
he still wears
his tuxedo coat like
a regal gentleman
who dines on pâté
while demanding the
servitude of his
ever-devoted human

(that would be me)

of course i comply
to his every whim
i’m a sucker for
soft fur, and deep
rhythmic purrs
mesmerized by
the dark flecks
in his green eyes
deep as wells
and by the trust
implied by his gaze
having tested me
these twenty-one years

~kat
Na/GloPoWriMo 2022 - Day 24 Prompt: write a poem in which you describe something with a hard-boiled simile. Feel free to use just one, or try to go for broke and stuff your poem with similes till it’s . . . as dense as bread baked by a plumber, as round as the eyes of a girl who wants you to think she’s never heard such language, and as easy to miss as a brass band in a cathedral.

Now I don’t know if my similes are all that, (as mentioned in the examples above), but I did manage to pen a few. They say one should always write what one knowS. I guess you could say I know my subject quite well, like an old friend he is…my gentleman kittie, Merlin.

etiquette when death comes to call

etiquette when death comes to call

never send
cut flowers
to the grieving
eventually
they wilt
wither
and die
a dismal reminder
of their beloved
departed

it’s a cruel
thing to do
don’t you see

but if you must send
something green
a lovely potted plant
filled with buds
on the cusp
of blooming
or a tree
one that’s
hearty and strong
a tribute
a celebration of life
a reminder
that life goes on

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo2022 Day 23 Prompt: write a poem in the style of Kay Ryan, whose poems tend to be short and snappy – with a lot of rhyme and soundplay. They also have a deceptive simplicity about them, like proverbs or aphorisms.


A Friend, A Job, A Painting, A Lie

Auguste Renoir Odalisque 1870, oil on canvas at the National Gallery in Washington, D.c.
A Friend, A Job, A Painting, A Lie

just the other day
i ran into an old friend
her name? well i couldn’t say…
i remembered then
we were close once, as she walked away

night shift at Denny’s
i kept cups filled with coffee
serving strangers for pennies
and kept company
with other odd night owls like me

intoxicating
her dark eyes piercing my soul
provocatively posing
she draws me in close
ensnared by her charm, she swallows me whole

it’s just a white lie
you’re just trying to be nice
so look ‘em straight in the eye
don’t let them ask twice
bend the truth a bit, that’s my advice

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo 2022 Day 21 Prompt: write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you saw once and that has stuck with you over time. Finally, close the poem with an unanswerable question.

For today i decided to use the Horatiodet, a short form of the Horatian Ode that I created a few years ago. I wrote a stanza for each part. They don’t really mesh. Not sure if they were supposed to, but it’s on prompt and you get 4 for 1 today! 😊

The Horatiodet is a total of 5 lines, syllable count: 5-7-7-5-9 / rhyme scheme: ababb. In other words, it is a short Horatian Ode (only one stanza), a form based on the style of Horace, Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 8, 65 BC – November 27, 8 BC), the leading Roman lyric poet.

A Cheesy Limerick

Photo courtesy of PDPhotos@Pixabay.com
Not sure what Limburger cheese thinks about how its odiferous essence affects diners, but I have heard that if you can get past the smell, the cheese itself is delightfully nutty and sweet! Adding “Try Limburger cheese at least once before I die…even if it kills me!” to my bucket list. heehee! 

A Cheesy Limerick

From the Duchy of Limburg, now Liège
hails a much controversial cheese
though it smells like foul feet
it tastes nutty and sweet
slap a slice between rye if you please!

~kat

Na/GloPoWriMo2022 - Day 20 Prompt: write a poem that anthropomorphizes a kind of food.

thinking out loud…a prelude

Photo courtesy of StockSnap at Pixabay.com.

thinking out loud…a prelude

just listen
let me talk
nod your head
give me an uh-hmm or two
eye contact…i need eye contact
and your time
and your attention,
your presence
i need you to be present

i would do the same
if you needed me too
you know it’s true
i’ve been there for you
so i’m hoping
it’s not too much to ask
at least i hope not

and one more thing,
well maybe a few,
i don’t need you to fix anything
or defend me or get mad
or tell me what i should do
i’d like to figure that out
on my own, as i said
all i need you to do is
let me talk
just listen

-kat


Na/GloPoWriMo2022 Day 19 Prompt: write a poem that starts with a command.