Literature assignment using poetry

One of the short stories Lesley-Anne learnt last term as part of her literature class was Anita Desai's Circus Cat Alley Cat. Most literature assignments involve critical analysis of the chosen text but this had an added dimension - the kids had to write a poem on the story from the perspective of the child (narrator). I think this assignment played to Lesley-Anne's advantage because she loves poetry. In her p6 class, she had earned the reputation among her classmates of being the resident poet.

The poem was to be in free verse, ie rhyming is optional. Here's what she came up with (for the poem to make sense, I think it's necessary to read the original story first).

She was the new nanny, who had a large build
With hefty shoulders and wiry hair - unlike silk
Her lady-like ways forever gone

When Anna walked in, everything changed
My imagination fired, slightly deranged
My own room and self did transform

When dusk came and the lights were switched on
The brightness of Anna's eyes really shone
Like that of a performer under bright circus lights

Her white uniform, all neat and pressed
Was that of a nanny who is very well-dressed
But it changed to become a pair of pretty pink tights

Breakfast time! Anna's freshly cut bread
Became a hunk of flesh, a deep crimson red
Our stomachs stopped growling

We gnawed our bread, but our appetites were suppressed
However, our imagination continued to digress
The cats are prepared and are prowling

For the pink stucco house was the Big Top, a new thing in this story
Our lawn was a stage, basking in the glory
Of the audiences' loud cheers

The chirps of a mynah and barks of a dog, both out of sight
Became the gibbering of apes and tiger's roar with much might
They were our fellow circus peers

For now, we spring, not skip
We no longer hop, but we leap
Just like a circus cat would

Then, wooden chair in hand, Shakti arrived later
Also holding a whip, it was obvious she was our trainer
For around cats, Shakti ruled

Oh! The thrills of the circus acts
Involving many circus cats
With Shakti as our queen

We take away the audiences' breath
As we defy gravity and death
The most terrifying act you have ever seen

Then...

A cry in the distance made me realise
That all this was not real and before my own eyes
Things changed back to the way it was before

A tricycle and skipping rope where the wooden chair had been
A neem switch where the whistling whip was seen
The locked cage door was a shut window, no more
And Shakti was Anna weeping on the garden floor

Anna was weeping for her lost baby
Some other time, I shall tell you the full story
But, most importantly, Anna there, seemed to be tame!

However, it did not last, for several years soon passed
And Anna returned to the circus at last
Anna "the circus cat" lives up to her name!


Lesley-Anne scored 17/20 (Content: 9/10, Language: 8/10) for this assignment. Her teacher wrote, "Very clever!" with a smiley face. I think it's quite apparent that was an assignment Lesley-Anne really enjoyed.