Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2022 finalist Stella Chen. Stella finished 4th grade this past school year and wrote a poem called “THE FELINE’S A-TERRIBLE DILEMMA.” One judge had this to say about Stella’s poem, “The poet’s interesting perspective combined with classical language make this piece stand out. It is fun to read aloud, thanks to the poet’s clear cues for rhythm and meter.” Enjoy!
THE FELINE’S A-TERRIBLE DILEMMA
By Stella Chen
Always have I been
The only cat, the greatest Queen,
But something has a-chang’d.
Began, had it, five days ago,
A meow, a purr,
A smell of new fur,
And a kitten a-newing.
I think I’d tried to ignore him,
I think I’d tried to drive him away,
But behind the door was he
Savoring this stay.
I did not give a hiss
When I first saw this beast.
Instead, I a-watch’d from a distance
‘Fraid of his activities.
Ashamed, I am, to have been so a-scared
But kittens are made of mischief.
Elves! Elves! Elves!
How akin kittens are to elves!
Playing with everything,
Jumping out of holes,
Eating toxic ‘shrooms for dares!
But this one?
Much worse, much worse indeed.
He’d perform such acts if given chance,
But he does all this as well:
Never listening, only climbing,
Not understanding hurtful biting,
Claws for usage on everything!
And that is why I proclaim:
I will not see this kitten!
I dearly do not want to.
For in these five days’ time,
He’s rolled in feces and litter;
He’s splashed in water
And chewed on brass handles!
How horrible! How horrible,
How a-horrible indeed.
Yet worse is to come from this kitten
As my humans have said
In their tedious tongue
That one day this beast
Shall join us, an equal,
Shall share my territory.
When this day comes,
If this day comes,
I shall do what is needed:
Hit him thrice on the nose
And claw through his tail
With the fury of
An angry cat
In pursuit of her treacherous enemies.
If only I could be a fury,
This plan would work, un-flawed.
But, alas, my heart is a-fainted,
And I am much too tainted
With cowardice and feebleness
To even move a paw.
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