Sunday Poetry – W B Yeats

I’m going to indulge in some photos of Lucky & Phoebe today with yet another cat poem. Both cats love lounging on the back porch, especially in this mild weather. I wish the humidity would go away but I’m sure we’ll get some proper, crisp autumn weather soon.

These photos were taken yesterday afternoon. Phoebe enjoys a good stretch

before settling down for a very long nap. Funnily enough, they seem to have taken over each other’s beds. I bought the purple fluffy bed for Phoebe & the futon (navy blue cover now very faded) for Lucky but they seem to have swapped over lately.

The poem is The Cat and the Moon by W B Yeats. I like the sense of kinship between Minnaloushe & the moon, the eyes of the cat mirroring the changes in the moon.

The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet.
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
Has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon.
His changing eyes.

Lucky & Phoebe

I realised that I hadn’t properly “christened”my new blog as I haven’t shared any new photos of Lucky & Phoebe. It’s been an unusually cool start to summer here (apart from two hot days last week) so I took the opportunity yesterday to steam my Christmas pudding – having the stove on for 8 hours is more appealing on a 20C day than a 38C day.My reading chair is the favourite vantage point for both girls to supervise whatever I happen to be doing in the kitchen. Phoebe prefers the back of the chair.

I’m not sure how much supervising was going on because less than 5 minutes after I took the first photo, she was fast asleep (until I appeared with the camera when she opened her eyes but didn’t otherwise move). She often sleeps with her head right down among the cushions like that.

Lucky, on the other hand, was happily sitting on my lap until I got up to add more water to the saucepan.The reproachful, slightly wary look is her usual expression when I creep up with the camera trying to take photos.

Have a good week everyone.