A Shadorma Chain on the Problem of Cats

 Shadorma – that wonderful bogus poetic form that is such fun to write – is perfect for the paean to the feline companion, the international cat of mystery. It’s also handy in keeping the basic arithmetic sharp. Six lines of 3, 5, 3, 3, 7 and 5 syllables. And done.

She thrashes
Her tail annoyed to
Have to share
my lap with
a computer. She knows I
Look at other cats.

Soon, she’ll lash
Out and claw my hand
This won’t end
Well. A rug
Is the only answer, like
A parrot at night

My little
Cat thinks it queer to
Stop with no
Food source near
Gives her cage an angry poke
Car trips are no joke

Preferring
No travel, my cat
Would rather
Be at home
Sunning on the windowsill.
She suffers loudly.

The earth is
Not flat. We know this
For if it
Were flat, the
Cats would have pushed everything
Off the edge by now.

Cat asleep –
Snoring gently and
Paws twitching –
In a dream
Hunts wildebeest and giraffe.
Wakes, and demands lunch.

Cats need their
Sleep, they really do.
A doze here,
Deep dreams there.
Have you ever known a cat
With insomnia?

Sandburg – wrote
Of little cat feet –
Never knew
My plonker.
Ten tons of pressure per paw
When she tromps at night.

Cats can talk
Yes, they really can
Nudging things
To the floor
Communicates their demands
Most effectively.

A tail twitch
Registers complaint
As well as
A human
Demanding the poor sales clerk
To please hurry up

Impassive,
My cat observes the
Groundhog and
The deer through
The window. But woe betide
A cat! Rage ensues.

What is Shadorma?

Shadorma –
new poetic form.
Fun to write,
easy to read.
Purrfect verse for the portrait
of my cat Nesreen.

Just six lines,
basic counting skills.
Syllables –
Three, five, three
Three, seven and a final
five. There! That’s not hard.

Cats from top to bottom: Nesreen, a linocut cat by Vanessa Lubach, Mog by Judith Kerr,  The White Cat by Franz Marc, a fine Ginger,  Striped Cat by Mary Fedden, Nesreen.