Poem: "ACROCAT"
This poem came out of the January 3, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a post from kestrels_nest. It has been sponsored by zianuray. This poem belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"ACROCAT"
-- an acrostic poem
[Friday, May 30, 2014]
Across the room the acrocat runs,
Chasing a bird just outside the door,
Racing up the cat tree to bounce
Off the glass of the storm door.
Caught by sudden laughter, the
Acrocat tumbles back down ...
To try again later on.
* * *
Notes:
Acrocat (2013-present) is the daughter of Chevron and Blondie. She is a medium-size cat with large ears and a long body. She has amber eyes and a short dense coat of brown tabby. Acrocat is primarily an indoor cat who runs around the house leaping into contortions while trying to chase birds that are outside the windows.
Acrocat (2013-present) brown tabby shorthair queen daughter of Chevron brown tabby bicolor male and Blondie orange longhair queen
Blondie (2000-2014) daughter of Dark Chocolate and Philistina Feathercatcher orange longhair queen
Chevron (2012-present) son of an unknown tom and Hillary of the Hidden Colors (brown tabby bicolor male)
* * *
Vermont Shag Carpet Cats -- These huge, hairy landrace cats are well adapted to the cold snowy weather of the Northeast. The name comes from the very long, very dense winter coat but in spring a massive shed converts them to a medium-long overcoat with a thin undercoat. A majority of Shag Carpets "blow their coats" in just 1-2 weeks. Unlike some long-haired breeds, they groom themselves just fine, but indoor cats require heavy grooming from their owners in spring to avoid coating the whole house in cat hair. Separated from the overcoat, the undercoat of the sheepcats is actually spinnable and quite warm, although on the short side as fibers go. At Emerald Mountain Glen, the fibercrafters do their best to groom as many cats as they can to collect the fibers, and often offer to groom outside pets in exchange for the fiber too. Shag Carpets come in all colors and patterns. They tend to have big fluffy feet like snowshoes, including a polydactyl variant sometimes nicknamed Vermont Snowshoe Cats. Every few years, a new stud cat is introduced to Emerald Mountain Glen and allowed to mate with whichever females he chooses; these are often but not always purebreeds. The numbers of purebred studs in the Shag Carpet history are: Maine Coon (4, 1 polydactyl), Norwegian Forest Cat (3), Siberian (1), American Bobtail (1), Savannah (1), Ragdoll (1), Ragamuffin (1); plus one fishcat. The addition of Savannah increased height and added a new spotting pattern, but created a chance of skittish or aggressive temperament. Ragdoll and Ragamuffin were then introduced to improve temperament, which is working. Less often, queens are brought in, but these are usually selected for desirable features from someone's pool of working farm cats. Vermont Shag Carpet kittens with short hair, poor cold tolerance, low self-preservation, poor hunting, or other undesirable features are typically adopted out of the commune unless they have another highly desirable trait. They are still quite popular as pets.
An acrostic poem typically spells a word or phrase down the left margin, although there are other variations. Learn how to write one.
"ACROCAT"
-- an acrostic poem
[Friday, May 30, 2014]
Across the room the acrocat runs,
Chasing a bird just outside the door,
Racing up the cat tree to bounce
Off the glass of the storm door.
Caught by sudden laughter, the
Acrocat tumbles back down ...
To try again later on.
* * *
Notes:
Acrocat (2013-present) is the daughter of Chevron and Blondie. She is a medium-size cat with large ears and a long body. She has amber eyes and a short dense coat of brown tabby. Acrocat is primarily an indoor cat who runs around the house leaping into contortions while trying to chase birds that are outside the windows.
Acrocat (2013-present) brown tabby shorthair queen daughter of Chevron brown tabby bicolor male and Blondie orange longhair queen
Blondie (2000-2014) daughter of Dark Chocolate and Philistina Feathercatcher orange longhair queen
Chevron (2012-present) son of an unknown tom and Hillary of the Hidden Colors (brown tabby bicolor male)
* * *
Vermont Shag Carpet Cats -- These huge, hairy landrace cats are well adapted to the cold snowy weather of the Northeast. The name comes from the very long, very dense winter coat but in spring a massive shed converts them to a medium-long overcoat with a thin undercoat. A majority of Shag Carpets "blow their coats" in just 1-2 weeks. Unlike some long-haired breeds, they groom themselves just fine, but indoor cats require heavy grooming from their owners in spring to avoid coating the whole house in cat hair. Separated from the overcoat, the undercoat of the sheepcats is actually spinnable and quite warm, although on the short side as fibers go. At Emerald Mountain Glen, the fibercrafters do their best to groom as many cats as they can to collect the fibers, and often offer to groom outside pets in exchange for the fiber too. Shag Carpets come in all colors and patterns. They tend to have big fluffy feet like snowshoes, including a polydactyl variant sometimes nicknamed Vermont Snowshoe Cats. Every few years, a new stud cat is introduced to Emerald Mountain Glen and allowed to mate with whichever females he chooses; these are often but not always purebreeds. The numbers of purebred studs in the Shag Carpet history are: Maine Coon (4, 1 polydactyl), Norwegian Forest Cat (3), Siberian (1), American Bobtail (1), Savannah (1), Ragdoll (1), Ragamuffin (1); plus one fishcat. The addition of Savannah increased height and added a new spotting pattern, but created a chance of skittish or aggressive temperament. Ragdoll and Ragamuffin were then introduced to improve temperament, which is working. Less often, queens are brought in, but these are usually selected for desirable features from someone's pool of working farm cats. Vermont Shag Carpet kittens with short hair, poor cold tolerance, low self-preservation, poor hunting, or other undesirable features are typically adopted out of the commune unless they have another highly desirable trait. They are still quite popular as pets.
An acrostic poem typically spells a word or phrase down the left margin, although there are other variations. Learn how to write one.