World Poetry Day: The Singing Cat ~ Stevie Smith

World Poetry Day: The Singing Cat ~ Stevie Smith

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March 21 is World Poetry Day, a day created by UNESCO in 1999. With this in mind The United Nations has stated that:
Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings.
What better way to celebrate our feelings of humanity than with some cat poetry?
World Poetry Day: The Singing Cat ~ Stevie Smith
Adoring the creatures we love, we can honor them with words, while they adore us with their eyes. In honor of this day a little poem by the English poet and novelist Stevie Smith.

THE SINGING CAT

It was a little captive cat
Upon a crowded train
His mistress takes him from his box
To ease his fretful pain.

She holds him tight upon her knee
The graceful animal
And all the people look at him
He is so beautiful.

But oh he pricks and oh he prods
And turns upon her knee
Then lifteth up his innocent voice
In plaintive melody.

He lifteth up his innocent voice
He lifteth up, he singeth
And to each human countenance
A smile of grace he bringeth.

He lifteth up his innocent paw
Upon her breast he clingeth
And everybody cries, Behold
The cat, the cat that singeth.

He lifteth up his innocent voice
He lifteth up, he singeth
And all the people warm themselves
In the love his beauty bringeth.

Stevie Smith (1902-1971)

For other wonderful poems about cats look here.