A Cat (A poem)

[BikeWriter]

A Cat
She had a name among the children;
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.

In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales,
And birds of bright voice and plume and flight,
As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.

I loathed and hated her for this;
One speckle on a thrush’s breast
Was worth a million such; and yet
She lived long, till God gave her rest.

Edward Thomas
Born 1878, killed in the battle of Arras-
Easter Monday, 9 April 1917

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. That is one of the saddest poems I have ever read.

damn.

[BikeWriter]

3. Yes, it's sad for every entity involved, isn't it?

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. If this doesn't rev up the outdoor kitty flamewars, I dunno what will.

:hide:

[BikeWriter]

27. Last week we looked at pictures of a bird a cat had killed...

I remembered this poem and thought it about time the dialog expanded a bit.

[elshiva]

2. ...

:cry:

[DeepBlueC]

4. do you hate the Lounge?

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[BikeWriter]

5. Oh, does this make you sad?

Pictures of half-eaten birds make me sad, too.

[DeepBlueC]

6. all of it

but mostly the idea of living unloved.

[BikeWriter]

7. Who loves the birds?

[silverojo]

18. So should we kill all cats for acting out of instinct?

Simple solution is the humane one for all creatures involved: Keep cats indoors, where they can be safe and loved.

[BikeWriter]

19. "Keep cats indoors" BINGO!

[BikeWriter]

8. Here's a poem I wrote: "Who cries for the birds?"

The searches I made for feral, cat, poetry,
plaintive results, all speaking for abused cats.
I'll write my own, sez I, asking
"Who cries for the birds?"
Their ancestors wallowed in the swamps here,
they evolved, sang sweet songs of life, and flew!
Their numbers increased and they thrived,
No eagle, raccoon, or snake could vanquish their numbers,
The feral invaders came and kills them by the millions,
Who cries for the birds?

[sammythecat]

9. I'll expose my denseness.

I've read this several times, but I'm missing something. I'm pretty sure I like the poem, but I don't quite get it. The cat's life is filled with tragedy. It also kills beautiful songbirds and the writer (the soldier, I'm thinking) hates her for this and laments her long life "till God gave her rest". The soldier was 39 and was killed in battle.

I'm frustrated because I'm intrigued by the poem even though I don't understand it. I'm sure you didn't expect to be questioned when you posted this, but if you could tell me the connection between the soldier and the cat, I'd appreciate it.

[BikeWriter]

10. That he was a soldier and killed in battle is coincidental.

Think of it whatever you will.

[sammythecat]

11. ok. I hope you didn't think my reply was in any way critical.

It wasn't.

[BikeWriter]

24. T/Y for your kind explanation. I get a bit defensive sometimes. :-)

[sammythecat]

26. I'm glad you responded

Although I love to read and I consider myself a decently empathetic and understanding person, I too often have difficulty with poetry, and it frustrates me. I sometimes feel like a person listening to a symphony while wearing ear muffs. Yes, it sounds good, but I know damn well I'd enjoy it as much as everyone else if I could just hear ALL of it. Same with that poem. I thought it was sad and very moving, but I knew I wasn't getting all it had to offer. I hesitated to ask for an explanation because that seems a little odd, but I knew I needed a little help so I went ahead and asked. I'm glad I did. :)

[BikeWriter]

28. Thank you. The poem expresses emotions...

I wish I were eloquent enough to write down. I read some of the man's other works, and one written by a friend about his death in the war and I think he must have loved animals.

[Lethe]

12. the neglected cat kills to survive

as does the soldier

[BikeWriter]

13. Yes, and it kills our endangered species nature put here..

[emilyg]

14. Feed the neglected cat.

[BikeWriter]

15. A well-fed cat will hunt for sport.

[Lethe]

16. i was looking at it from a poetic point of view

with the soldier feeling both empathy and disgust towards the felid

not commenting on feral cats killing native birds in actuality

[BikeWriter]

17. I'll check the dates, not sure if he was in the army when he wrote this.

[BikeWriter]

29. I haven't been able to find a date he wrote this poem yet.

[Lil Missy]

20. There's a minute of my life I'll never get back. n/t

[BikeWriter]

21. I am sorry you feel it was wasted. It was meant to inspire thinking.

[Bertha Venation]

22. I'm enjoying the popcorn.

;)

:hi: BikeWriter

[BikeWriter]

23. Waving a hand right back atcha, Bertha.

:hi: