My Flat Cat
From the book My Dog Likes to Disco
I have a cat.
My cat is flat.
He sleeps beneath
the bathroom mat.
He slides around
upon the ground
without the slightest
striding sound.
He only eats
the flattest meats
and thin and wispy
kitty treats.
He once was fat
but now my cat
is totally,
completely flat.
He got so slim,
so flat and trim,
the day my Great Dane
sat on him.
— Kenn Nesbitt
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Reading Level: Grade 3
Topics: Animal Poems, Imaginary Poems
Poetic Techniques: Alliteration, Assonance, Hyperbole, Imagery, Rhyme Schemes
About This Poem
When I talk to kids, one question they often ask me is if any of my poems are true? That is, they want to know if any of the things I write about actually happened. Of course, I tell them, “No.” My poems are all fiction, meaning I just made them up.
However, many of my poems are based on something real. For example, I wrote this poem because of my cat, Sancho. Sancho is a kitten, just a couple of months old, and when he’s not playing or chasing our other cats around the house, he likes to stretch out for a nap.
My cat Sancho
A few weeks ago, was thinking about a sleeping cat, and about words that rhyme with cat like “flat” and “mat,” when I came up with the beginning of this poem. After that, I wasn’t sure what else should happen, so I set it aside for a few weeks.
When I finally figured out what else should happen to my flat cat, I sat down and wrote the rest of the poem. I hope you enjoy it.
From the book My Dog Likes to Disco
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