That nine lives saying?
A reincarnation tale.
Rowan, Puss’ cousin, was the original one.
He died on a cold winter’s night
giving rise to number two, Tabby Tat.
Nearsighted, she met her demise
squinting down a busy street.
Number three was Kit the Kat,
catapulted to fame by a candy bar.
Sugar highs and alley fights
finally did him in.
Mouser came next, not very smart,
he followed a mouse into a trap
and was last heard to say, oh crap!
The next reincarnation came in a far away land.
Penelope the Puma,
sadly and cruelly killed by a hunter’s hand.
Her ghost became the charming Ms. Cheetah,
seduced to her death by a devilish Tom.
Lorna the Lynx was up next.
She lolled through life until her untimely death.
And now if you’ve been counting with me
we’ve come to the ninth penultimate life.
That final reiteration,
none other than Felicity Feline,
intensely happy, true to her name.
I am delighted to report, she found a happy home
with the prolific painter, Mr. Louis Wain.
Her portrait, painted in joyous colors,
stands out in his collection.
And so, while all those other eight are forgotten
Felicity lives on in perpetuity,
frozen in time, displayed on an easel,
for generations to visit and see.
Written for NaPoWriMo day 23, off prompt.
Written for dVerse Tuesday Poetics on prompt where Melissa is introducing us to the English artist Louis Wain. He is “best known for his drawings of anthropomorphised cats. Born in Londin in 1860…he attended the West London School of Art, where he would go on to teach for a time….In 1884…The Illustrated London News was first to publish Wain’s art. It wasn’t until 1886 that he received more widespread recognition….he was elected president of the National Cat Club….he was a prolific artist. During his lifetime, he drew thousands of cats (it is estimated that the number exceeds 150,000.” Melissa asks us to choose one of his paintings/drawings she includes in her prompt, and to “write a poem inspired by the artwork. Simple enough, right? There’s just one catch – you may not use the word cat anywhere in your poem, including the title.”
I selected Wain’s painting, Untitled.
I had some fun with this….using many different words that refer to cats: puss, tabby, kit, mouser, puma, cheetah, tom, lynx, and feline. I also had some fun with wordplay, without using the word “cat” as in the Kit Kat candy bar, and catapulted.
lillian the home poet 
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Those nine lives are good to read about and the colorful painting is pleasing to see.
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Glad you enjoyed, Joyce. I still owe you that letter I mentioned….will be typed as there is much to catch up on.
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Love this Puss ‘n Boots story! As always , so creative- well done!
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Thanks, Nancy. I really had some fun with this one!
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I think Kit the Kat was my favorite. “Sugar highs and alley fights
finally did him in.” What an adventure through nine lives.❤️🐈
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I had some fun with the prompt….took a while to figure out 9 different scenarios.
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Lillian ~~~ an absolute delight! Andrew Lloyd Webber might want to take a peek???
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Hah….a lover of Broadway musicals? Glad you enjoyed!
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Moral: The ninth life is immortality if you learn how to die well.
I enjoyed the poem and think you enjoyed writing it :)
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I did enjoy writing it….fun to think of all those nine scenarios. And such a happy image to work with!
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I love it, Lillian. So very creative and perfect for he picture.
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Thanks, Dwight. Glad you enjoyed! It was such a happy and colorful image!
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You are welcome. Yes it was…
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Having grown up with cats I do remember how often they died (usually being crushed by a car)… I still remember them, those that stayed for just a short while.
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crushed by a car? UGH what an awful image. We had “farm cats” when we lived in a farmhouse on 30 acres. They stayed outside. After Thanksgiving, George would throw the turkey carcass out into the back yard and the howling and screeching they did fighting over it was amazing. Next morning….no carcass, no bones…nothing.
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A wonderfully clever poetic work!
You embraced everything feline and honored the artist in one package. 👏❤️
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A lovely comment to read. So glad you enjoyed!
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Brilliant, in every line of feline magic!!
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Thank you!
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What a fantastic way to take this prompt Lillian!! Though “And so, while all those other eight are forgotten” isn’t quite true as they have indeed been remembered, right here in these line, maybe not as they would have liked, not in an enduring image, but remembered still. They owe that to you! 🙂
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Hah! If they were real….
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“. . . not very smart,
he followed a mouse into a trap
and was last heard to say, oh crap!
When it got to the ninth cat, it reminded me of the property of cats, they have nine lives. Could your eight that died be the first eight lives wasted? A fun read, Lillian.
..
When I got to the ninth
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Yep….I based it on the idea that cats have nine lives….but changed it to they are reincarnated (reincatnated??) nine times.
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Nice one Lillian. Thanks for dropping by my blog
much♡love
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I love this tour of nine lives, and the ordinary one last off, survives well, a nice twist.
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I love this style!
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