Best Merlin Poems
Sweet Merlin, our black, magic cat,
would meow from grandpa's top hat
in which he oft rested and sat.
His black head would rise- we'd look at
his mouth holding, grisly, yet fat-
a combat-worn, very dead rat.
Each time we would yell the words, "Scat!
Look, what you have now done to that!"
He'd drop it right down on the mat.
We'd laugh and yell out, "What a brat!"
Return his stuffed rat, with a pat-
for Merlin's next magic show prat!
September 30, 2022
Premiere Contest: Merlin the Magic Cat
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
410 AD when mythology takes hold
Barbarians threaten to conquer Rome
Roman troops abandon Britain, head home
But Chieftain Vortigern seizes the throne
Britain’s new king sought to flex his power
Mt. Snowden’s site chosen for his tower
But before Vortigern builders cowered
Ever-crumbling walls left his face sour
Soothsayers were beckoned and wove a tale
A fatherless boy must be brought to Wales
His blood be shed and his future curtailed
If hopes for the tower were to prevail
A princess was said to have spawned an heir
Whose father had simply vanished in air
Leaving the single mother in despair
And the ghost’s voice she still heard she declared
Her son Merlin was brought before the king
Vortigern scowled when he began laughing
Merlin said ‘neath the tower lay a spring
That’s why its unsettled walls kept crumbling
He claimed serpents were below ground as well
The king quickly fell under the boy’s spell
Diggers found both as the lad did foretell
Merlin’s life spared, his reputation swelled
To escape wrath from a king with clout
The tower’s real problem this boy figured out
The “magician” name he could do without
But a sharp wiz kid was Merlin, no doubt
*Friends, I did extensive research on Merlin
and this is what I learned. Is the story true?
Yes, to the best of my knowledge.
Vortigern was a true character and this is
allegedly how he discovered Merlin.
Merlin the cranky cat
sat around getting fat.
Wanting to be heard
he mewed and purred.
He yowled and howled
and even growled
all with the same result.
He felt it quite the insult.
He snarled and hissed
What had he missed?
He tried a mewl
and lost his cool.
Short of a caterwaul
what should he call?
A tiny squeak perhaps?
Were they taking naps?
Chirrups and chirps
brought no alerts.
His tail-raising trills
brought no thrills.
He wanted dinner now.
He raised a loud MEOW!
Using the magic word
he finally was heard!
Merlin became the Magic Cat
in his tuxedo and top hat.
The other cats took their cue.
“Meow” meant “Please and thank you!”
The moral is if dinner you choose,
learn to mind your Ps and Mews!
Merlin was born by sorcery.
A demon father, incubus.
Virginal mother, royalty.
Great wizard of King Arthur's court.
Of legends, deeds and chivalry.
That fabled castle Camelot.
He prophesied, waved magic spells.
Bade Viviane of Avalon,
Enchantress Lady of the Lake,
To forge a royal magic sword.
Excalibur she set in stone.
Merlin besotted and beguiled
Reveals; his secrets for her love,
Black magic art, dark sorcery.
Which wantonly would seal his fate.
Arthur's crowned King, he drew the sword.
Excalibur it blinds the foe.
King Arthur's scars in victory,
By magic scabbard, they don't bleed.
Merlin rewards his Viviane
To cross the sea to Avalon.
A magic castle on her lake,
Whoever passed, they could not see
He built for her by sorcery.
She spurned his love, insanity.
Merlin's a Druid going mad.
Hallucination, lunacy.
Now wild man of the apple woods
In Avalon, misunderstood.
Craving his freedom, prophesied,
Three times how would a young boy die.
He saw him falling from a rock.
Then secondly, hung from a tree.
And finally he would be drowned.
His captors laughed, how could this be,
A prophecy turned into three.
One day the boy walked by a stream.
He tripped and fell from off a rock
His leg entrapped by roots of tree,
Hanging, he drowned in waters deep.
Merlin's predictions, set him free.
But Viviane now cast a spell.
Entombing Merlin in a stone.
That temptress Lady of the Lake.
In the Druid tradition an inspired Bard was said to possess "bird's knowledge." Druid shamans would dress in cloaks of bird feathers to perform certain ceremonies, and divination would be practiced by observing the flight of birds. In trance, the Druid would enlist the aid of his bird spirit-ally to fly to other realms, or would transform himself into a bird on the inner planes to accomplish a certain task. Each type of bird represents different qualities, evokes different experiences, and has different gifts for the Druid: the eagle brings renewal, the wren humility, the swan grace, the raven initiation. The hawk, whether kite, harrier, merlin, goshawk, or sparrowhawk, can give nobility and stature, dignity and pride. I once heard that a Cherokee shaman had to turn into a hummingbird in order to find the lost tobacco seed, in their mythology, it was brought to them by the hummingbird.
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Arthur, the King, had a big table that
Was ever so round and was heavy and flat
One day it collapsed and it squashed Merlin - SPLAT!
But the wizard came back as a soppy old cat
In Camelot, soon all the doggies were gone
In Camelot, all of the rats tried it on
In Camelot, where the cat wasn’t so daft
He muttered this spell (which was catty witchcraft)
“Gone, the wizard, wise of brow
Gone, the dog, no bow wow wow
Hail the cat, meow meow
Rats, be lunch before me now.”
But wizards, even when they’re cats
Exceed all human lifetime stats
Arthur, long since in the ground
Merlin now, is still around
Not a cat inclined to roam
Never lacked for hearth and home
Any home mad keen on doggies
One quick spell and they choose moggies
Did that in this very house
Turned the dog into a mouse
We took him in and called him Muffy
Silly name, but we’re not stuffy
Under the table, a bed for Muffy
We laid a mat, all pink and fluffy
Muffy spoke which messed my head
Still I heard what Muffy said…
“You may think I’m a soppy cat
Which might explain my fluffy mat
But that there table’s round and flat
There’s no way I’ll sleep under that!”
“I am wizard, wise of brow
Though my skin be feline now
I’m no ‘Muffy’ anyhow
I am Merlin, then… and now!”
6 October 2022
Contest: Merlin The Magic Cat
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
Merlin
Magical falcon
Spellbinding in flight
Compact little hunter; persistently
Dashing
My mom calls me her little Merlin cat;
because I do some fun tricks and magic;
like when I hid inside the bed box spring
jumping out with a loud "MEOW"_
She thought I disappeared,
but, I had just fallen asleep for hours !
Once, I called 911 on her cell;
so imagine her shock when they arrived;
don't think they believed that "the cat did it"
because, well I had disappeared_
I like to watch TV,
hiding the converter- oh, so angry !
I read the newspaper she likes to say;
but the truth is I like how it crunches;
I touch buttons on the computer keys
and I purr as she swears loudly_
Often, I drink her tea,
rest in cupboards leaping when she opens !
_______________________
October 06, 2022
Poetry/Verse/Merlin The Magic Cat
Copyright Protected, ID 10-1492-746-06
All Rights Reserved, 2022, Constance La France
Photography by Poet
Written for the Premiere contest, Merlin The Magic Cat
sponsor, Mystic Rose, Rose, Judged 10/22/2022
Second Place
To the torn page out of Modern day Merlin’s book of wizardry,
I regret to inform you that you are nothing more than a recipe for tomato soup. You have no enchanted qualities about you, but you tend to brag about where you come from more times than you realize. Dear torn page, haven’t you noticed that the he only wondered on your whereabouts when his life was turning quite pale in color, and rugged in shape? Your words of zest, and your smooth direction brought vibrancy into his blue octagonal soul. Probably like how an octopus would feel escaping from a cloud of his own ink. He could breathe again.
But you’re lost now, and he doesn’t care much. You wonder why you were written in the first place if you’ve only felt what magic you can make once. If there are over 7 billion people in this world, have you ever wondered how many pages in books there might be? Has it ever occurred to you that out of those trillions of pages turned, over half haven’t been read at all? Has it ever occurred to you that books have been transformed into toys? Children in schools use you until they grow up and buy iPhones and laptops, and you’re left on sitting sideways on some rotting wooden shelf that has nothing more to talk about than how bad of a shape he’s in. Has it ever occurred to you that there are mysteries, histories, nursery rhymes, and adventures that have been overlooked because of the simple fact that humans have given up on the great things?
Actually, it would seem that giving up is the only thing their willing to give. Your black blood on a papyrus shell just doesn’t flow in the mind like it used to. You reminisce on the time when you were the only one that cast a spell on him, and you gave him life again.
Now the wizard is off signing autographs and performing shows at Rockefeller Center every first Friday of the month. He uses only spells so basic that he doesn’t have to read the step by step instructions anymore. To be honest, the book isn’t even used as frequently. I think I even saw a family of dust specks rent a home on page thirty-three last week.
But has it slipped your mind, humble recipe? Have you forgotten already of the position you’re in? You are a torn page now.
So float on by.
Let the wind keep you steady.
Merlin was found abandoned when he was a kitten
Wet, cold and hungry, and badly flea-ridden
His meowing was constant, distressingly high-pitched.
Having been cruelly treated, then callously ditched.
He quickly grew strong and quickly grew big.
His recovery, a blessing and miraculously quick.
Energetic, playful, inquisitive and fun
He loved being outdoors in the warmth of the sun.
His coat white and silver, and sparkling blue eyes
A handsome, cute cat came as no surprise.
He had a white fluffy chin that looked like a beard
And dark patches of fur at the top of his ears.
A gentle big cat, affectionate and loving
Many people said, "He's so friendly and stunning."
My anti-cat neighbour even welcomed him in
I soon started to see a different side of Jim.
We began visiting care homes and shelters.
Adults and children charity centers
The effects on people were amazing to see.
People called it Merlin The Magic Cat Remedy.
The top of his tail would always hook over
His greeting, his hello as we moved around closer
His tail like a staff that seemed to emit magic,
Helping the troubles in lives that were traumatic.
He always responded with a gentle meow
Healing and mending, only Merlin knew how.
His soft, gentle purring was very hypnotic
Relaxing and soothing, a therapeutic tonic.
Through the years, he gained a mystical reputation
And connecting through telepathy communication
He brought smiles and laughter, and inner peace.
Pent-up emotions, some, learned to calmly release.
At the age of fourteen, Merlin sadly passed away.
His legacy and memories live on to this day.
Never afraid, good-natured, gentle and kind.
Healing through spirit, body, and mind.
Merlin The Magic Cat Contest
Sponser Mystic Rose Rose
Written 14.10.22
I am the root.
I am the green fuse.
I am the stem, the bud,
the dry twig,
and the stealthy footstep
that snaps it in the night.
I am the rising hair on the back of your neck.
I am Merlin, the bard,
and I sing of it all.
I am the bard of warm sheets,
and insincere ones as much.
I am the empty gesture,
and the chill that sets upon the pillow.
I am Love itself, and the murderer of Love.
I am the arrow on its mark.
I am the dregs of wine
at the bottom of the barrel.
I am the wrong unredressed,
and the debt long unpaid.
I am Merlin, the bard,
And I remember it all.
I am the vocation unheeded,
the monk with no prayer,
and the lusty nun, alone in her bed.
I am the trickster.
I am my own mother and my own father,
incubus and succubus, one and the same.
I am the milky breath of your firstborn.
I am the scent of his decay.
I am Merlin the Conjurer,
and I conjure it all.
I am the rising star in your firmament
and the wellspring of your dreams.
I am the grains of sand in your hourglass.
I am your merciless mirror, year after year.
I am the green moss awaiting your bones.
I am the greedy worms.
I am your life’s purpose,
and the odds against it.
I am your last chance.
I am all the times you turned back.
I am your fresh start.
I am the gnome, the sylph,
the salamander, and the undine.
I am the severed head, the cauldron,
and the threefold death.
I am the angel.
I am the serpent.
I am the hawk that circles in the blue.
I am each letter of your name.
I am Merlin, the bard.
I am you.
And I sing of us all.
Merlin indeed was a magical cat
With long flowing robes and a pointy blue hat.
He came into town on a Harley one day
With a gleam in his eye and the look of a stray.
His head, shiny bald, but his face full of hair;
A few weeks’ provisions seemed to be lodged there.
He rolled that big hog right into the park
And lit a small fire to hold back the dark.
Then he opened a saddlebag, got his guitar,
Leaned back on that bike, and hummed a few bars.
The old girl had slipped; she wasn’t immune,
So he tweaked a few pegs, and he got her in tune.
With a voice that was old when the world was still young,
He sang to the stars in a strange, wondrous tongue.
It seemed like the mountains responded in kind,
A rumbling, purring sound, vaguely feline.
You’d have sworn the ground opened, because just like that,
Old Merlin was surrounded by a chorus of cats.
They joined to the purring and matched pitch somehow,
A deep-throated rumble, not a cry or “meow”.
Now you’ll think I’m repeating a tale told by wives,
But all of these cats had lost all of their lives.
As he called out their names in a voice clear and strong,
They floated off skyward in the strength of that song.
It seemed time stood still out there under the dome,
But he played, and he played, and he sent each cat home.
When the last one had disappeared out in the stars,
His voice drifted off, he put up his guitar,
Got back on his bike and left just like that;
Merlin indeed was a magical cat.
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for the Merlin the Magic Cat Poetry Contest
sponsored by Mystic Rose Rose
written on 09/25/22
MEOW! cries Merlin the Magic Cat,
As he pulls magic out of his hat!
POOF! A lady Siamese appears!
PURR-they scratch each other's ears.
POOF! A service of catnip tea spread.
PURR-Sip and smile, no meows are said.
POOF! A coach with gold roses on it!
MEOW! "Mer" reads a Shakesphere sonnet.
PURRING loudly, as she smiles at him,
POOF! Eight horses await his next whim.
POOF! Two coachmen arrive ln thin air!
Reining the horses, they await there.
PURR-Will she or won't she take his arm?
He's barely begun to show his charm.
POOF! She accepts and they ride away!
PURR-Magic occurred one summer's day!
September 29, 2022
For Merlin the Magic Cat poetry contest
by Mystic Rose Rose
Couplet
Twelve midnight on a chilly dark night,
Dead silent, Eerie, and unsettling.
Everyone, of the small town of Serene
Are partying in the town hall.
A Halloween Masquerade Party.
Merlin the cat beams
When he saw the screen door swing open,
Rushes in like a bat on lighting fire
So not to get caught.
On his back feet, dances In tune with the music,
Swinging his arms round,
Moving his head like an Egyptian,
Going a little cra, cra, crazy taking chances
Being the center of attention.
The spotlight shown up close
Reveal the face of the young "Merlin the Magic Cat"
Beaming as he took off his satin black mask.
Up to no good, he casts a love magic spell
To all that were in the town hall.
Seeing his love in his eyes,
Takes a deep breath, " MEOW."
Saunters over
While she strums her rhythm guitar.
Merlin's major weakness,
Beautiful young women of femme fatale
Leads will lead him to his doom.
All because of you.
10/11/2022
Merlin, the magic cat
Now old...and a little fat
He would "Meow" or chitter-chat
When time to use his old black hat
"Meow, meow- Meow, meow"
He does his tricks...I don't know how
Wow, wow, wow- Wow, wow, wow
His audiences- they stand and bow
Merlin the cat, Merlin the cat
He made disappear...an old white rat
He's a little fatter, when you see him now
'Cause the old white rat- well, was his chow
Merlin The Magic Cat Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose
9/28/2022