Cherry Blossom

A poem about cats and the world.

Cherry Blossom

 

 

 

A ginger cat runs down a dusty alleyway

 in the huge city of Constantinople.

The green eyes of the cat sparkle

in a dense cloud of smoke that

hangs in the air from a

shisha pipe being

Smoked outside

a small café.

 

 

A black and white cat plays with a dead mouse in a crack den in North Philadelphia. The cat spots an injured bird in the snow-covered back yard; he drops the mouse and runs to his victim. The dead mouse lies next to a dead woman. The young woman is bony, dirty and has a syringe sticking out her left arm. Two dead souls sleep in Philadelphia one winter’s morning.

 

 

A plump black cat sits on a cold garden wall in the

 Misty suburbs of Tokyo. She gazes at the

 human race all day with a motionless

expression. She then slowly licks

her paws and then falls to

sleep. The aroma of

cherry blossom

engulfs the

area.

 

 ©LukeRitta

 

Reviews

Very unique form/structure ^_^ I like.
it's almost like shape-poetry, with the shape being a downwards arrow.

My guess is that this poem's intention is to be thought-provoking by relating the unhealthy behaviors and flaws of humanity to that of a cat's routine lifestyle and characteristics.
The one which I think this perspective mostly is connected to is the second stanza which deals with a cocaine addicted freebaser (though "crack" is usually smoked, unless you use something like lemon juice to dissolve it)... the train of thought being the cats killing smaller animals is symbolism for the woman being killed by her health-deficiency addiction to narcotics.
IF I were to read into the first stanza though, being that green is the color of health and a shisha pipe being smoked, my guess is that it's about the health risks of smoking. As for the last stanza, my guess would be it's about laziness.

Like as stated in the beginning of this review, I adore the structure. I don't know if it was intended to be shape-poetry, but it is an odd coincidence if it wasn't. I also would like to praise it for it's seemingly great ability to correlate two different species of animals together in their behaviors, it was a pretty cool idea. Also, the cultural like references to different parts of the world, such as shisha (exotic tobacco product) being smoked at a cafe...
Probably the only constructive critique I can offer is just pay attention in the details you write.. such as shisha smoked outta a pipe, technically shisha is smoked outta hookahs or water-based replacements to pipes (bongs).

overall: an appropriate score for this I think would be a 96/100... enjoyed it alot, and thnx for the RR mate. Keep up the good work ^_^

[emmajoy]

Three canvasses, each with its own tale to tell and tail to flick or flounce. Love the way in which you've laid your groundwork and built the pictures of these three different creatures in their worlds. There's a sadness wrapped around the three of them yet their individual spaces are so sharp and full of atmosphere - only the last few lines display relief.

[John Jackson (El Juero)]

A very interesting and contrasting troika. The disparity somehow forms a balance in your work. Most enjoyable!

[Priscilla Sayers]

Nice imagery.

[Ruth]

What I love about your work are the layers love and you always bring them to the surface and make them real! The structure, the meaning, the imagery, all real...all connected..so beautiful xoxo

[Muse]

I love the mystery that surrounds the cat. I have one myself. He seems to carry around a sense of pride and magik. A clever write indeed.

[TawnyBlueStar]

wow
love the three different situations and the structure of the poem
love it :D

So delightful Luke! how 3 diffrent cats over the world can almost be so close, and unique the same way... the sparkling lightness in your poem is brilliant. I enjoyed reading it, as ever! Excellent work.