In May at Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’s blog, Today’s Little Ditty, she and Julie Fogliano challenged writers to look out their windows and write a poem about what they saw. They decided to call these poems, Window Poems.
I spend a lot of time looking out my window and enjoy a beautiful view that often distracts me from whatever I should be doing. This poetry challenge was right up my alley! I expected I would write something about the bird play at the feeders, the deer slipping through the trees, or even the solo turkey who’s been visiting us lately. Or perhaps I would write about the early morning moon shining through the dark branches, the silhouette of the barn roof at sunset, or the colorful blossoms emerging in the garden. I’m so often inspired by the beauty I see outside my window, especially at this time of year; It’s familiar writing territory for me.
Instead, one recent morning I found myself writing this:
Circle of Life
© 2018 M. Hogan. All rights reserved.
Nix the comfort zone 
I loved this story/poem when I first read it, Molly, and now am glad to read that your ferocious hunter cat is safe, back from whatever adventures she chooses. This beginning is so startling, and wonderful too: “the glassy-eyed chipmunk
yesterday’s gift from my cat
still lies on the granite step”, not the expected dreamy morning scene.
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Thanks, Linda. This was a lot different than my typical window poems 🙂
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I’m glad to know the end of this story/the return of the cat. She’s got quite the backstory! Somehow I think she needs so more poems!!
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I’m quite fascinated by her, as she’s unlike any cat I’ve had before. You might be right about her needing some more poems!
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ew, those glassy eyes. Cats and their predatory ways… you gotta love em anyway.
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I’ve advocated catch and release but she’s not buying into that idea!
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Wow! I think your cat needs an entire collection about her.
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That might be fun! She is quite a cat.
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A cat who opens doors is a cat with a mind of her own! You’ve captured this huntress with her furtive rustling and glassy-eyed gifts. Glad she returned safely!
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She’s a smartie! We’re glad she’s back too, but wow, is it hard to get her in at night!
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My cat used to open doors, too. He’d put his paw underneath and wiggle the door until it popped open. He was a city cat, though, in his early years, and he never went outside.
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The shelter told us that this cat would need to be an indoor/outdoor cat and they were right!
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He seems happy. 🙂 Good for you for giving him a home.
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Grateful for another opportunity to read your poem, Molly. I feel honored to meet this clever and determined feline escape artist! (Also, ditto Kim’s comment.)
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Ninja Cat! lol
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I’m glad your cat made it back home–and inspired you to write this poem. I remember those gifts left on the doorstep back when I used to have a cat.
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I step carefully when I leave the house these days!
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She is quite the fierce beauty! And lucky to have opened the door to your home and hearts. Sad for the chipmunk – such endearing fellow creatures – but those feline instincts are sharp, sharp. Thank you for the poem (and that double-meaning of ‘remains’ at the end.)
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Um, yeah, um, I totally meant to do that! lol
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Oh, those show off cats and their trophies! It’s hard to remember that it’s their form of love. I wonder what we do that grosses them out?!
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This cat definitely regards us with a look of disdain, not infrequently! We’re never quite sure what we’ve done to deserve it, but clearly we are in the wrong!
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Oh, love this story…and happy ending! We used to have a cat that could open doors, too! What a beauty you have there. It is hard to keep them inside when they were an outdoor cat. We used to have minor fights about staying inside with our rescue cat – for just what you feared here. So many owls, hawks, foxes, coyotes out here at night!
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I’ve never yet been able to keep a cat inside if she wants to get out. They are persistent creatures 🙂 We just do our best to get her in at night when all the crazy creatures are creeping and crawling about!
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Molly, I love this poem –and this idea of window poetry. Thanks for continuing to inspire me!
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Thanks, Paula! It was a great challenge for me, as I spend a lot of time looking out the window (when I should be doing other things! lol).
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