My Cat Is in Love with the Goldfish

On Wednesday, a package I had been waiting for arrived from across the Atlantic. The package contained several copies of My Cat Is in Love with the Goldfish and Other Loopy Love Poems, a new anthology of light verse that was just published in the UK. The book was compiled by British poet and anthologist Graham Denton.

My Cat Is in Love with the Goldfish
Chosen by Graham Denton
A & C Black, 2010

Most of the poets whose works are included in the book are British—but there are also poems by a few Americans—J.Patrick Lewis, Kenn Nesbitt—and me.

The anthology is divided into eight different sections:

- Animal Magnetism
- The Stuff of Fairy Tales
- Doomed Love
- Monster Love
- A Perfect Match
- The Food of Love
- Monster Love
- Do You Love Me or Do You Not?


I Wish I had Your Picture… (Anonymous) can be found in Animal Magnetism.

I wish I had your picture—
It would be very nice.
I’d hang it in the attic
To scare away the mice.

Not exactly what you were expecting in the way of a LOVE poem?

Maybe you’ll find my poem Jack and June, which is included in The Stuff of Fairy Tales, a bit more romantic:

JACK AND JUNE
by Elaine Magliaro

Jack and June went to the moon,

Crash-landed in a crater.

Jack broke his nose and seven toes.

(He’s a crummy navigator!)

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Jack cried in pain. June tried in vain

To soothe her injured mate.

She bound his toes and kissed his nose

And asked him for a date.

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Jack and June began to swoon…

Fell mad in love and they

Returned to Earth, their place of birth…

And wed the very next day.

Also included in The Stuff of Fairy Tales is Rapunzel! Rapunzel! by Kenn Nesbitt.

From Rapunzel! Rapunzel!

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! You've cut off your hair!
Your billowing tresses are no longer there.
That mohawk you're sporting is spiky and pink.
I'm really not certain just what I should think.

"I came here expecting to clamber a braid,
ascending your tower to come to your aid.
Instead I have suffered the greatest of shocks
to find that you've cut off your lovely blonde locks."

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Graham Denton has a humorous couplet of his own in A Perfect Match section.

On the Very First Valentine’s Day
by Graham Denton

What the caveman gave his missus—
Lots and lots of Ughs and kisses.

I think Monster Love may be the favorite section of the anthology with young kids.

Colin West’s Sir Hector gives you a flavor of Monster Love.

From Sir Hector
by Colin West

Sir Hector was a spectre
And he loved a lady ghost;
At midnight he’d collect her
And he’d drive her to the coast.

You can read the rest of the poem here.


In Monster Love, Tony Mitton has a poem called Valientine.

Here’s an excerpt from it:

An alien valentine in verse
from elsewhere in the universe.
(Heaven above. It must be love)

Dear Alien, I love you
with your 13 legs
and your hair so blue
and your beautiful tentacles
covered with goo.

A sampling of titles of other poems included in the book:
Pig’s Song of Courtship (John Mole), The Skunk and the Porcupine (Kenn Nesbitt), Dragon Love Poem (Roger Stevens), Deadly Affectionate (Trevor harvey), Sheila Shorter Sought a Suitor (Anon), Love at First Bite (Andy Seed), Dancing with Frankenstein (Robert Scotellaro), and Love Letter—from the Wizard to the Witch (John Foster).

My Cat is in Love with the Goldfish is certainly full of lots of “loopy love poems” that will make kids chuckle.

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At Blue Rose Girls, I have the poem Thumbprint by Eve Merriam—as well as a discussion about innate talent and my road to writing children’s poetry.

Irene has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Live. Love. Explore!