A Book of Accidental Cats

I am exploring the idea putting together of a collection of poems, entitled, ‘A Book of Accidental Cats’. Well, after all, ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’ is already spoken for! I have never bothered much with poetry, but recently I have found myself writing a few lines, some more acceptable than others. The first ‘accident’ came about one night, when I was working late in the office. I watched our cat, Dotty, utilising the power of a full moon to hunt in the field below the window and, feeling guilty about the number of species on the verge of extinction due to cats’ nocturnal activities, went outside and brought her in. She spent most of the night on the window ledge, gazing longingly at the moon. The poem, ’Hunter’s Moon ‘ was the result. The second ‘accident’ came about when a photograph of ‘Alice the Book Store Cat’ popped up on my Twitter feed. I follow Readingwithcats and enjoy the beautiful images they regularly post. Little Alice, a cat long gone, lay on a green velvet chair in the Dusty Bookshelf in Lawrence, Kansas. Research provided information about the cat and her home: The shop aims to 'buy, sell, and trade high-quality, gently read books’ and is an Aladdin’s cave of literature. Alice’s life there is described on the shop’s website: “Alice came to us as a stray in 1999, and she decided she wanted to stay. This sweet girl could always be found on her green chair in the animals and pets section. Sadly, Alice passed away very recently, in early April 2014.” I contacted the Dusty Bookshelf and asked permission to use their photograph and received a heartwarming reply, which said, ‘We loved Alice so much and are thankful for any reminder of her… Please feel free to share your wonderful poem with any accompanying Alice photos.” This one’s for you, Alice!