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Catechism
Cats? I’m allergic to ’em. But I’m a big fan of formal verse, and therefore of Gail White and her delightful paeans to felines in her tender, witty, insightful, masterfully crafted poems. And they’re non-allergenic. Finally, since this is a catechism, you might want to commit one or two to memory. I recommend starting with “Traveling with Cats on a Snowy Evening” or the opening sentence of “Fat Cat.”
—Bob McKenty
In verse as sharp-clawed and hilarious as any feline, Gail White has long written brilliantly about cats and their humans. And now that she’s collected a whole litter of these poems, I’ll never wonder again what to give cat lovers on my list.
—Melissa Balmain.
All of Gail White’s cat poems, together at that’s a catechism this Cataholic would gladly learn by heart.
—Julie Kane.
—Bob McKenty
In verse as sharp-clawed and hilarious as any feline, Gail White has long written brilliantly about cats and their humans. And now that she’s collected a whole litter of these poems, I’ll never wonder again what to give cat lovers on my list.
—Melissa Balmain.
All of Gail White’s cat poems, together at that’s a catechism this Cataholic would gladly learn by heart.
—Julie Kane.
38 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2016
About the author
Gail White
41 books3 followersGail is widely published in the world of formal poetry. Her home is in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana where she lives on the Bayou Teche with her husband and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2022
Elegy in April
Spring’s back again, riding a surge of death.
My cats, the heralds of the holocaust,
leave lizards underfoot, and birds whose breath
their claws have stopped lie wrapped in Spanish moss
outside the door. The moth and dragonfly
now writhe exhausted in the spider’s web.
But there’s an upside too. The bayou’s high
and mallard ducks are mating, neb to neb.
On cultivated ground, the golden wound of
roses is an ever-new surprise,
and last year’s caterpillars, long cocooned,
and wringing toward the hedge as butterflies.
This resurrection, though, is not for men.
We’re annuals. We don’t come up again.
Catechism is a short collection of poems about cats by Gail White. As she is wont, she rhymes and employs humor. Her verse is far from what is considered “contemporary.” But it’s worth a chuckle—and White writes some good, humorous sonnets—if that’s your cup of tea, of course.
I find the collection amusing, but not consistent. Some poems show more polish and wit than their peers. The collection is only 30 pages. It’s a quick read. Depending on your disposition—and whether you find cats amusing—these poems may actually elicit a chuckle.
Vain Question
What were you doing, my cats,
the day the burglars broke in?
They spared you, taking instead
the new TV and my rings.
We found the front door open
and you walking in and out.
I suspect you both looked on big-eyed,
never raised one shout
for help or called 911.
It must have seemed to you
just another of those strange things
that two-legged beings do.
So the burglars did their job
and departed, unfoiled, uncursed.
We called the police next day,
but we fed you first.
Louisiana Poetry Reviews
Breach <<<<<>>>>> Kitchen Heat: Poems
Spring’s back again, riding a surge of death.
My cats, the heralds of the holocaust,
leave lizards underfoot, and birds whose breath
their claws have stopped lie wrapped in Spanish moss
outside the door. The moth and dragonfly
now writhe exhausted in the spider’s web.
But there’s an upside too. The bayou’s high
and mallard ducks are mating, neb to neb.
On cultivated ground, the golden wound of
roses is an ever-new surprise,
and last year’s caterpillars, long cocooned,
and wringing toward the hedge as butterflies.
This resurrection, though, is not for men.
We’re annuals. We don’t come up again.
Catechism is a short collection of poems about cats by Gail White. As she is wont, she rhymes and employs humor. Her verse is far from what is considered “contemporary.” But it’s worth a chuckle—and White writes some good, humorous sonnets—if that’s your cup of tea, of course.
I find the collection amusing, but not consistent. Some poems show more polish and wit than their peers. The collection is only 30 pages. It’s a quick read. Depending on your disposition—and whether you find cats amusing—these poems may actually elicit a chuckle.
Vain Question
What were you doing, my cats,
the day the burglars broke in?
They spared you, taking instead
the new TV and my rings.
We found the front door open
and you walking in and out.
I suspect you both looked on big-eyed,
never raised one shout
for help or called 911.
It must have seemed to you
just another of those strange things
that two-legged beings do.
So the burglars did their job
and departed, unfoiled, uncursed.
We called the police next day,
but we fed you first.
Louisiana Poetry Reviews
Breach <<<<<>>>>> Kitchen Heat: Poems
August 29, 2022
A Witty and Wise Book about Cats and Their Humans
In poems as sharp as her subject’s claws, Gail White immortalizes cats and all of their doings. You don’t have to be a cat lover to enjoy her wit, her knowing way with rhyme and meter, and her funny riffs on Hardy, Frost, Dickinson, Whitman, Wordsworth, and other poets, but surely this collection would entitle her to the Nobel Prize of Caterature, if there were such an award. It is no less knowledgeable and wryly insightful about the humans the cats live among.
In poems as sharp as her subject’s claws, Gail White immortalizes cats and all of their doings. You don’t have to be a cat lover to enjoy her wit, her knowing way with rhyme and meter, and her funny riffs on Hardy, Frost, Dickinson, Whitman, Wordsworth, and other poets, but surely this collection would entitle her to the Nobel Prize of Caterature, if there were such an award. It is no less knowledgeable and wryly insightful about the humans the cats live among.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews