Welcome to Tuesday Poetics, friends! This is Melissa from Mom With a Blog. I’ll be tending bar tonight with drinks and snacks and this cat’s meow of a prompt. So let’s get to it!😆

Louis Wain was an English artist best known for his drawings of anthropomorphised cats.🐱 Born in London in 1860, he was the son of William Wain, a textile trader, and Julie Boiteux, who worked as an embroiderer. Wain’s maternal grandfather, Louis, was an artist.

Due to health problems early in life, Wain did not attend school until the age of ten. When he did go to school at first, he was often truant, wandering around London. He later attended the West London School of Art, where he would go on to teach for a time.

In 1884, Wain married Emily Richardson. They lived in Hampstead with a black and white kitten named Peter. Peter was a great solace to Wain and his wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after their marriage, and he is credited as the impetus behind Wain’s cat art.

That same year, The Illustrated London News was first to publish Wain’s art. It wasn’t until 1886 that he received more widespread recognition. Celebration was short lived; his wife, Emily, died after just three years of marriage. After her death, Wain rented rooms and continued building a reputation as an artist, taking commissions for a variety of journals. He was also elected president of the National Cat Club.

After the passing of his father in 1880, Wain reconciled strained relationships with his mother and five sisters, and the family moved to the seaside in Kent and rented a home there. Wain supported his family financially, and money was generally tight.

Later in life, Wain’s surviving three sisters had him certified insane and committed to a mental hospital. He spent his last fifteen years there, and continued to create art, much of which his sisters sold. Although some have speculated about schizophrenia, it has been suggested that Wain’s breakdown was triggered by a head injury he sustained in 1914, when he fell off an omnibus.

Louis Wain was a prolific artist. During his lifetime, he drew thousands of cats (it is estimated that the number exceeds 150,000). In addition, he wrote and illustrated children’s books; his works were used in advertising; over 1100 of his illustrations were produced as postcards. Let’s pay homage to Wain and (of course) his cats in today’s poetic prompt.

Here is your assignment! Choose one of the artworks contained herein, and write a poem inspired by the artwork. Simple enough, right? There’s just one catch–you may not use the word cat anywhere in your poem, including the title. Other feline terminology is acceptable. Do let us know which work you have chosen in your post.

If you’re new, here is how to join us:

• Write a poem in response to the prompt.
• Enter your name and a link directly to each post containing your poem into Mr. Linky. Remember to check the box to accept use/privacy policy.
• Read other poets’ work as they enter their links into Mr. Linky. Check back as more will be added.
• Please link back to dVerse from your post(s).
• Have a wonderful time!🎉

Mr. Linky will remain open until 3pm EST on Thursday, April 25, 2024.