Five cats

Five cats

I

Frenchy,
white and brown fur
my sister Di brought home.
I leashed him to the line one day.
He left.

II

Greyface,
Nebraska girl,
had four kittens: Oda,
Bender, Quiet Eyes, one I can't
remember.

III

Peaches,
one-eyed-wonder,
broken tooth and paw, five
pounds of nothing, nursing kittens
not-her-own.

IV

Persia
didn't like me.
Couldn't hear her name called.
Searched for hours. Blue eyes hid behind
the stove.

V

Frenchy,
brown and white stray,
purred his way into my home.
Begged my father's company before
he died.


Kåre Enga



A chain of 5 American cinquains. Basically 2-4-6-8-2 = 22 syllables. Yes, I know these are 22,23,23,23,24. Note: although all poetry is fiction, this is based on fact. Yes, there were two Frenchys.