The Jeweled Chant

of meadowlarks, mockingbirds,
and blue jays lures the sun from
its ebony cave, and at daybreak,
as that fiery phoenix rises from
the ashes of night to lift its
lemon eyelid, spackling the sky
with light, Poppy often appears,
crouched in crabgrass or clinging
to the low branches of a tree.
Her tongue craves the ivory peaks
of yogurt almost as much as her
mother, who taps Poppy’s head
whenever the kitten attempts to
lap the milky treasure from both
bowls. Each stray has gained
weight after two weeks of regular
meals, and their coats gleam like
the gloss of new leaves. In the
evening Poppy rolls in the grass
beside her father, while he finishes
dinner, her plump belly thrashing
back and forth. Has a kitten ever
adored her parents as much as
this one? Watching Poppy, I pray
for her joyous spirit, that it will
always soar like the skylark, the
sapphire lake of her life unclouded
with gray, her days frisky with
grasshoppers and butterflies, her
nights a purring soliloquy of peace.

Laura Stamps is an award-winning poet and novelist. Over five hundred of her poems, short stories, and poetry book reviews have appeared in literary journals, magazines, anthologies, and broadsides, including the Louisiana Review, Ibbetson Update, Big City Lit, Poesy Magazine, American Writing, Fullosia Press, and Lummox Journal. She is the author of more than twenty-five books of poetry and prose. Her poetry chapbook "Cat Daze" was a Finalist in the 2004 Plan B Press Chapbook Competition, and her fiction chapbook "White Porches" was a Semi-Finalist in the 2004 Winnow Press Chapbook Award in Fiction Competition. Her chapbook "In the Garden" was a Top-Finalist in the 2004 Blue Light Press Poetry Prize and Chapbook Competition, and was recently published by The Moon. Two of her poems are included in the celebrity anthology "Open My Eyes, Open My Soul" (2003, McGraw-Hill Books). More information about books by Laura Stamps can be found at www.kittyfeatherpress.blogspot.com.

Email: Laura Stamps

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