Children's Poetry
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Poetry Break # 27

Free Verse or Unrhymed Poems

cat2.gif

Introduction to both poems: Ask students to describe common cat behaviors as you make a list on the board.

Kitten

The black kitten,
Arched stiff,
Dances sidewise
From behind
The chair, leaps,
Tears away with
Ears back, spins,
Lands crouched
Flat on the floor,
Sighting something
At nose level,
Her eyes round
As oranges, her
Hind legs marking
Time: then she
Pounces, cactus-
Clawed, upon
A strayed
Strand of fluff:
Can anyone
Believe that she
Doesn't ask us
To laugh?

Poem by Valerie Worth

Taken from Cats are Cats by Nancy Larrick, editor. Illustrated by Ed Young. New York: Philomel Books,
1988, p. 72. ISBN: 0399215174.

That Cat

That cat is crazy
Just a bit
Elegant
Mysterious
Dancing on the midnight grasses
Moonlit
Very royal
Delirious.

Poem by Karla Kuskin

Taken From Cats are Cats,
citation on this page, p.17

Extension for both poems: a) Read other poems and stories about cats. Ask students to discuss which ones they like best and why. b) If a parent is willing, invite a cat to spend a day in your classroom. Ask students to observe the cat throughout the day. If you cannot have a cat visit your classroom, ask students to observe a pet cat belonging to someone they know. Explain that observing means watching the cat without interacting, taking notes, and trying to write only what they see. What cat behaviors do they notice?