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Poetics the Ginger Cat

—Ποιητική: ‘poi-EIGH-tee-keigh’

By a caged fire I read. Around me walls
of ancient lore, of poetry and war….          
Prometheus bound, flames behind glass doors: 
.
I pause, plying the sage, musing upon
a well worn Mediterranean page. Poetics
now plays before me upon this little stage.
_________I watch the cat play.
.
Flute and sinewed lyre, a smirk of teeth,
the lightness of cat feet in Titian wreath.
What grace of flowing shoulder, savage art!
_________I watch the cat play.
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What dread symmetry! hammer and silken chain:
cat paws toss, tease and bat. I gasp. I laugh.
I smile. I shiver. I ply this heart and brain.
_________I watch the cat play.
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If Aristotle kept a cat, its name
would be Poetics—a playful ginger cat.
Fire and ice and catnip mice: Poieighteekeigh.
_________I watch the cat play.
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Leland James is the author of five poetry collections, four children’s books in verse, and a book on creative writing and poetry craft. He has published over three hundred poems worldwide including The Lyric, Rattle, London Magazine, The South Carolina Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, New Millennium Writings, The American Poetry Review, The Haiku Quarterly, The American Cowboy, and The Ekphrastic Review. He was the winner of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and has won or received honors in many other competitions, both in the USA and Europe. Leland has been featured in American Life in Poetry and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
www.lelandjamespoet.com & https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/leland-james

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10 Responses

  1. Margaret Coats

    Love the friendly, fiery tiger, Leland. You did, however, remind me of a college Greek professor who would pounce unmercifully on any student who put two accents on a Greek word (thereby showing ignorance of where the accent should be). Okay to say “poi-EIGH-tee-keigh” in English, but with that accent on the final eta, it has to be KEIGH with no other accent in Greek. I do like the rhyme of the name with the refrain, and the varied rhymes that are not end rhymes. That takes poetic skill. Good classical library description, too.

    Reply
    • Leland James

      Thanks, And yeah the accents in Greek can be problematic. Not being expert in the language myself, I consulted two who are expert and got two different answers. I went with the one I liked. A poet’s not a scholar’s choice. So guilty as charged, if I am. It’s ‘Greek’ to me. I’ll let the poem stand on its sound.

      Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Yes, what counts in an English poem is the poETic sound English readers are likely to give the word!

      Reply
  2. Cynthia Erlandson

    Great description, Leland. I love your subtle allusions to Blake’s “Tyger”, and how you made the chain a “silken” one.

    Reply
  3. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    This intriguing piece has swept me up in its exquisite imagery and made me smile. I particularly like that “smirk of teeth” and “the lightness of cat feet in Titian wreath” – what “savage art” indeed! Thank you, Leland!

    Reply
    • Leland James

      Thanks for your kudos. But I wonder. I happened to send from an e-mail with publishers, my mistake, my not public name. My purpose in differentiating my poet name is that I have published textbooks, novels, essays under my born name. Don’t want to confuse readers. You called this out. I have to wonder why? No problem, I am hiding nothing. But I wonder why, as with many of your comments, and I appreciate them, you put on them an edge. Is a hint of antagonism an art form? But, again, thanks for your support. I just wonder at the tone, as in poetry. Thanks again.

      Reply
      • C.B. Anderson

        Nothing to fret about, Leland. It was just a friendly poke in the ribs.

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