ARTSPEAK! Portraits poem "In the Company of Kittens"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 13 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a-day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: Be sure to check in with Margaret at Reflections on the Teche to see how our Progressive Poem is progressing!

12. "Sixteen" after Jeanne Hubuturne-1919 by Amedeo Modigliani
11. "Promise" after Portrait of a Little Italian Girl by Maria Kroyer
10. "Portrait of a Writer" after Oskar Maria Graf by Georg Schrimpf
9. "Speaking of the Weather" after Profile of a Woman by Fujishima Takeji
8. "Happiness" after Self-Portrait with Straw Hat by Elisabeth Vigee le Brun

7. "Virginia, Sitting for a Portrait" after Portrait of Virginia (Little Girl) by Frida Kahlo

6. "Paint-by-Number" after Portrait of a Woman by Alexei von Jawlensky

4. "I Am" after The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas by George Catlin

3. "What If?" after Portrait of Camille Roulin by Vincent van Gogh

2. "The Lady Confesses" after Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries by Benjamin Wilson

1. "Mona Lisa in Love" after Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Today I decided it was time for another animal portrait. And who doesn't love kittens?! Here's what their mama would like you to know:

In the Company of Kittens

- after "Contentment 1900" by Henriette Ronner-Knip

mew mew mew mew

massaging my belly

purr purr purr purr

squashing my belly

a chase a pounce a race a bounce

a leap a catch a creep a scratch

whiskertwitch tailswish

jumpswitch!

mew mew mew mew

a furry flurry of feet

purr purr purr purr

a mama's sweet sleepy treat

- Irene Latham

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Readers, I love being a mom. I do believe it's the most important work I will ever do! And I remember the "sweet sleepy treat" of a baby. Yes, it's exhausting, but how else can you know a love like that? Thanks so much for reading!