Monday, February 18, 2013

The Mag #156, "Keening"

Wind of History by Jacek Yerka
Keening

Winter slumber tosses
sheet of white aside

amongst crumpled creases
barn cat hides

tiptoes toward
black capped chickadees

busy pecking
dropped berry seeds.

Westerly wind
sends warning gust

a moment's comfort found,
matted fur, growling tum

afternoon sunbath
against weathered wall,

keening for springtime,
sweet and bountiful.

By Margaret Bednar, February 18, 2013

This is for "The Mag #156"  a blog hosted by Tess Kincaid and "dedicated to the enjoyment of poets and writers, for the purpose of honing their craft, sharing it with like-minded bloggers, and keeping their muses alive and well".

I SO wish I had snapped a photo of the barn cat languishing beside the horse barn door yesterday, its fur all dirty with the February muck.  He was so content, he didn't raise his head and meow as he usually does, seeking a snack from the many boarders who feed him.  


Tum: stomach

23 comments:

Helen said...

I have fond memories of the barn cats on my grandparent's farm ... I am kitty sitting through the end of February ... my granddaughter's cat as she spends a week in NYC.
Kona is a great cat!!

Scarlet said...

I like the keening for springtime's bounty ~ Its been very cold here too ~

Harvee said...

I like the title keening, that house surely looks as if it's keening for care!

Laurie Kolp said...

Love the W-sound throughout and I really like how you focused on a barn cat and chickadees.

Margaret said...

Lori - one of my goals with this poem was to keep repeating certain sounds. Thanks for noticing.

Susan Anderson said...

Keening is the perfect word for this prompt.

Well done.

=)

Berowne said...

Flavor, ambience and mood. Well done...

Ginny Brannan said...

"matted fur, growling stomach

finds comfort
in afternoon sunbath"

Ah, I wish you'd gotten a photo too!! I have such a soft spot for animals, but especially cats! You have your barn cat, we have two feral cats that have made our yard their home. We cannot get near them, but feed them each day and have set up a winter shelter for them, a sort of a styrofoam igloo provided by the local Homeless Cat project.

Loved the poem, such a visual capture of life in your back yard!

Brian Miller said...

nice...you def caught the feel of this place in the pic...if anywhere could use a little spring it looks like it sure could...i rather like the same lines as ginny as well...

Yvonne Osborne said...

I love your title. I had just such a barn cat on my porch two mornings ago, sleeping peacefully on a chair out of the wind, matted fur and all.

Tumblewords: said...

Wonderful! A great read - I can imagine the lounging feline!
Off topic: Thanks for your comment on my Magpie. I inadvertently deleted it. Sorry. But I enjoyed reading it...

Susie Clevenger said...

keening for springtime's bounty...love that.

Silent Otto said...

Cool, Margaret, like the last lashing tale of winter

Anonymous said...

I often see winter this way. I love your take on the prompt.

kaykuala said...

Waiting for springtime again! Great write Marge! We've had strays at our place. We don't have winter so conditions are not severe. But they come and go. At one time 3 little kittens were seen.Nicely!

Hank

Mary said...

You have brought this picture to life beautifully, Margaret! I enjoyed the word 'keening.' It is a word I don't hear very often.

Abin Chakraborty said...

i loved the introduction of the cat as an avenue for diverse thoughts.lovely piece.

Anonymous said...

What a perfect slice of February life!

Ella said...

so well done....
I must read it again!
Loved the way you guided us :D

anthonynorth said...

Definitely time for spring. Nice one.

Hannah said...

Haunting Mag to write to...the muddy time before spring...hmm I don't look forward to that very much but yes, it does bring the keening...you capture some great texture here, Margaret, great write!!

21 Wits said...

I have one of those barn cats myself! Lovely read and it's very telling for my own wish for spring.

Tess Kincaid said...

This made even me ready for spring...