and keep talking. Coffee fresh from the pot couldn't warm me any better,
or make my cat eyes betray me and follow any more closely.
This is not my usual haunt. I do most of my waiting
high in the sharp black branches, stuck on a thorn and seeming to sing.
If I go silent now, Majesty, please don't mistake my mood as so many always have.
Would the world end, if I brought my kiss out from shadows
where I have stored it against claw-cut strangers and foggy, distracted loves?
It would at least stop me from talking, this once, eh Highness?
King of November, ruler of a random moment,
turn up the collar of your coat, and by your leave, I will curl myself there,
smaller than usual, an ornament of warmth and pretty utility,
maybe even content, too, until the next breeze arrives
to remind me of my penchant for Queens
and the sweet impossible joy that cats can never claim.
_______
for Get Listed, with grapeling
Love that song - goes well with the King of November!
ReplyDeleteHere's to the sweet impossible joy known to queens. Love the tone of this and the seamless use of the word list.
ReplyDeleteyou make me want to meet the king of november. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the image of November with his coat collar turned up....and sign me up for some of that "sweet impossible joy"!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea behind this poem. You have created a mysterious character in the person of the orator, as well as the king of November himself.
ReplyDeleteHa! This is hilarious. :) I LOVE the way you turned it at the end, the kitty favoring the queen over the king. So perfect.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you didn't come right out with the fact that the speaker is a cat until the end---I mean, we knew because of the cat eyes and the tree climbing, but you held off on outright stating it. This encourages us to wonder if the cat only exists as a metaphor for a crafty purring mistress who blows through the king and then pounces on the queen. I think she's a Delilah of sorts, come to distract the king (and queen) from matters of kingdom and war so that she can destroy them and their people. I think she has sauntered in, undetected, from the other side during wartime.
She's warning him (twice) to turn up his collar because she's planning on scratching his throat ... and deep. She seems nice and cuddly, but I think she's dangerous and on a mission. Thus the ending: "and the sweet impossible joy that cats can never claim" ... I'm pretty sure the speaker's part is played by Angelina Jolie in the movie version.
Love these:
"I do most of my waiting
high in the sharp black branches"
"stuck on a thorn and seeming to sing"
"if I brought my kiss out from shadows
where I have stored it against claw-cut strangers and foggy, distracted loves"
"ruler of a random moment"
"I will curl myself there,
smaller than usual, an ornament of warmth and pretty utility"
I find "King of November" to be thought provoking. Elections. Autumn. Change. Is there a new king/queen pair each month? Does she go after them all? Have you seen the movie Sweet November? This poem makes me think of Charlize Theron's man-a-month plan.
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeleteI am such a dweebo. It JUST occurred to me that I've been using a name that has "blossom" in it, which is totally already taken. Somehow I hadn't noticed my faux pas until I entered my name for this RT prompt. I'm super embarrassed and will change it immediately. For being a fairly observant person, I sure can be imperceptive at times. :P So sorry!
ReplyDelete^^^no worries. :-)
ReplyDelete"Cats can never claim"
ReplyDeleteYou wanna tell them?
ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
ah, but cats have their own impossible joy that no other can claim, do they not?
ReplyDelete♥
"Warmth and pretty utility." I adore that.
ReplyDeleteLOVE ELH too. Thanks for the reminder... it's playin now.
ReplyDeleteLove this Emmylou song ... Going to greet November from now on with a bow and a curtsy. All Hail the King!
ReplyDeleteA photographer friend of mine just returned from a concert in Chicago where she shot, among others, Emmy Lou. Love this song.
ReplyDeleteAs ever, you draw characters swift and sharp and a bit mysterious.
thanks for adding your voice, Shay ~
Hi dear Shay! Happy Thanksgiving! I know this is late but I have been getting headaches lately. I hope things are going well and that you have a great weekend. Warm hugs.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Luckily I have known the catness of a man with a not so hidden female side, so I can imagine this. But should the Queen of my/his/her heart ever arrive, that would be a different story.
ReplyDelete