Red Bay alum’s poem features in ICC’s ‘Calliope’

The work of a Red Bay student will be among the pieces featured in “The Calliope” – Itawamba Community College’s literary magazine – during the 2019 spring semester.

Red Bay’s Mary Elizabeth Moore’s poem, “A Cat Sits On My Lap,” will be one of the works featured.

The poem was inspired, Moore said, by one her family’s cats, named Kiki.

“I’ve been doing much more work than usual in college, and I spend a lot of time sitting at a computer,” said Moore, a 2018 Red Bay High School alum. “I write a lot of essays and notes. My sister’s cat, or one of the family cats, named Kiki, is extremely affectionate. She always knows when I sit down to work, and she wants to sit on my lap or sometimes be cradled. Sometimes she’ll sit up and watch the computer screen intently.”

In the poem, Moore said she describes the tortoiseshell/calico cat as being “black and gold,” with the gold representing Kiki’s orange/blonde patches of fur.

“I think it’s special when Kiki sits with me. Cats have been stereotyped as always being indifferent or outright evil in media, like cartoons,” Moore said. “That being said, it is more rewarding when a cat shows affection.

“The poem is rhyming, and of childish nature, but I wrote it in appreciation of Kiki.”

Moore submitted the poem after taking an online class called Writing for Publication. “You learn how writings are published – short stories, poems, etcetera,” Moore explained. “The teacher, who also teaches English in a physical classroom, asked us to (submit a piece for publication). At the time, it was the only poem I had written.”

Moore said she’s excited to see her work in print. “I’m surprised Mr. Morris and the others working on ‘The Calliope’ chose to publish it.”

Keith Morris, of the ICC Communications Division is “The Calliope” sponsor.