Whiskers on the Mic: When Cats stole the Spotlight at the Book and Film Festival

 Book and film festivals are usually about authors, writers, publishers, film directors, actors, and even readers but this year we were all taken by surprise when not one but four feline whiskers strutted the stage for the beginning act – an open mic poetry event. 

Amidst the smell of fresh ink and the rustling of papers, the spotlight of authors and publishers was swept away to these four cats – Bunty, Babli, Mini and Prince Goldie who turned just this open mic into an evening no one would ever forget. 

 

In fact, we were surprised when we saw cat publishing agents by the names 'of 'Whiskers Loud' and 'Paws Print' take a seat amongst the crowd. Poetry echoed the ears and mouths of the audience. 

 

The schedule of the film and book festival was already laid out so it all began by 4.30 PM.  However, there was a slight rearrangement in the schedule and that was the opening act would not start with the open mic event but instead would start off with an author’s book event launch where a few passages from his book were narrated. 

 

The book was known to be the newly released novel ‘Into the Peace’ by ‘Steve Hoppins’. As Steve got onto the stage and began to narrate a few passages from the book, there was an enormous amount of silence that was echoingly loud amongst the audience. 

 

After about an hour or so of discussion of the book and narrations from the book, the act was closed with a thundering applause as Steve left.

 

It was now time for the open mic performers of the evening – Bunty, Babli, Mini and Prince Goldie.  For them this act was not only about stealing the spotlight but it was also about sharing a piece of their purring and poetic sous as well. 

 

The Bold beginning – Bunty’s Rhyme

 

With her confident stride, Bunty was the first to take to stage. What Bunty did to open her act was she really tried to engage with the audience and make them repeat lines after she recited them out loud, emphasizing that poetry cannot just be passively listened to. 

 

There were 2 exercises which were merely to repeat what Bunty said:

 

Bunty: Meow once, meow twice, Meow nice

 

Audience: Meow once, meow twice, Meow nice!

 

Bunty: Meow, Meow, Meow

 

Audience: Meow, meow, meow

 

After 2 exercises when the audience looked all warmed up, and though her whiskers twitched and her tail swayed, out of her mouth came the cheekiest poem about tuna, cream and naps. 

 

This resulted in the audience not only breaking up into laughter throughout the performance but mimicking a couple of Bunty’s lines as well. 

 

Drama and Wit – Babli’s Performance 

 

Next was Babli, the Chaplin of the group. With her expressive eyes and tail that swished she recited a few lines about heartbreak, love and the woes of an empty food bowl. While she had a lot of flair while reciting, she was able to add the right the bout of sass and drama to her performance. 

 

"He mit me once, he mit me twice; Oh how my luck fated me twice..."

A Gentle Whisper – Mini’s Verse

Unlike the other cats, Mini rose with pride, delicacy and charisma on the stage. She did not in any way command the stage but instead had something about her that invited tha audience to her performance. She had soulful and soft lines which were about quiet corners and the secret nooks of melted hearts. She really was able to make the audience fall silent who were so surprisingly captivated by the intimacy of the poetry.

"In those knitted corners, when we couldn't even hear any purrs...."

 

The Royal Finish – Prince Goldie’s Wisdom

 

Last to come on stage was the majestic Prince Goldie. With a mane so golden he was really a looker indeed and everyone was stunned at how handsome a cat could actually be. 

His poetry spoke about nine lives, fleeting moments and the pawprints every soul leaves behind. It was not only so poetic but beautiful. The applause that he received was not only thunderous but also so much in admiration. 

"Fleeting moments - they take our lives; one two, like striking knives...."

 

While the event went on to more about films and books, Bunty, Babli, Mini and Prince Goldie proved that poetry did not only come from humans but also from animals wrapped in fur, carried on paws and spoken through purrs!