Poems with Lois Letchford: An Alley Cat

29 Oct 2020 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:18

In this YouTube video, Lois Letchford performs a solo reading of Jack Palutski's piece "An Alley Cat with One Life Left" from the collection The New Kid on the Block. The spoken poem narrates an alley cat's misadventures as it loses eight of its nine lives through a series of comedic, increasingly absurd accidents—ranging from a fight with a cat named Frankenstein to a tumble into a lake—leaving the cat with only its ninth life remaining. The piece blends humor with a reflection on mortality, concluding with a grateful acknowledgment of the remaining life. The video ends with a standard YouTube call‑to‑action urging viewers to like, subscribe, and share the video.

Chapters

Hello, I'm Lois Letchford reading from the book by Jack Palutski, The New Kid on the Block. This one is An Alley Cat with One Life Left. I'm an alley cat with one life left. I started out with 9 but lost the first in a knockdown fight with a cat named Frankenstein. My second went soon after that. To something that I ate. My third went under a garbage truck. I noticed it too late. While strolling through the zoo one day, I heard an awful roar. I strayed into a lion's cage. So much for number 4. I lost my fifth one morning to a ton of falling bricks, then tumbled from a window ledge and gave up number 6. My seventh Went to a Saint Bernard. I was no match for him. My 8th was squandered in a lake. It seemed I couldn't swim. So now I'd better watch my step. I'm down to number 9. I'm an alley cat with one leg left. I'm glad that life is mine. Thank you. Hit like, hit subscribe, and share.