Feline Zen?


Two months ago three special little cuties walked into our lives. Things were not all plain sailing as our part feral companions began the process of settling into  domestic life with Andy and I. It was only after we had named them Ziggy, Ebony and Nera that we discovered that the first letters of each of their names spelled the acronym ZEN! At first this seemed quite ironic given the antics that our crazy little fluff balls got up to at night. Now that they feel at home we are seeing daily signs of trust and affection and it is heartwarming. This week’s poems are all about The (almost) ZEN brigade. Cat lovers – watch out for some photos later on this week!


Three Cats


Three cats, who would have thought of that?

Three mouths to feed, three coats to pat

Who says the perfect number’s two?

Perhaps they don’t know cats like you!

Ok, it wasn’t all plain sailing

Sleepless nights with fights and wailing

Caused by vagrant ping pong balls

That bounced against the doors and walls

Three skittish cats, three balls of fluff

Night one with you was rather tough

As house and home no more our own

Were torn apart like a war zone

Pillows flying, plants derooted

Sofas scratched and jewellery looted

But in the morning there you laid

As if no fuss had to be made

In nonchalant feline repose

Cleaning behind ears and toes

Three cats, with you now life is clearer

Ziggy, Ebony and Nera

Not quite the mindful ZEN brigade

With your play fights and dawn tirades

You pickles all know very well

You feline charm was no hard sale

We fell right in, completely bought it

Three cats? Who would have ever thought it?

Published by Sam Allen Creative Coach

As well as being a poet, highly-sensitive being and self-confessed Crazy Cat Lady, I am a Creative Leadership Coach, Trainer and Team Coach with considerable experience in coaching clients in the Creative, Manufacturing, and Pharmaceutical sectors. I specialise in helping individuals and teams to work past limiting beliefs, to think outside-of-the-box and to show up as conscious, inspiring and dynamic leaders. I am passionate about helping leaders to show up authentically and I design and co-lead bespoke Conscious Leadership programmes for FMCG organisations wishing to create opportunities for their employees to shine and truly maximise their potential. In addition, I co-facilitate Happy Teams workshops, helping remote teams to build trust and connect to their strengths, purpose and vision in playful, creative and experiential ways. A co-active coach with PCC accreditation from the ICF, I am also Leadership Circle Profile certified and ORSC trained. I graduated from the CTI Inner Leadership programme in February 2020 and know from firsthand experience what it means to do the deep, inner work needed for personal growth. I hold a BA in French and Drama and a PGCE in Modern Foreign Languages. Throughout my coaching career I have empowered individuals to write books, make life-affirming career changes, overcome anxiety and to take giant leaps towards heightened self-realisation, increased authentic leadership presence and spiritual growth. An ex-lawyer and C-suite executive client recently shared that she had “never experienced anything so powerful” and that she is now able to “trust her truth”. One global client team leader reported being “touched, motivated, encouraged and brimming with energy” and another shared that his team was able to “demonstrate their creativity and really get behind their vision”. My personal and team coaching style is playful, intuitive, somatic and compassionate. My workshop facilitation style is dynamic, inclusive, expressive and authentic and my 20 years experience as an international school educator and team leader have contributed to my ease in leading group facilitation. My superpower is using my incredible intuition and sensitivity to see into people and challenge them in a powerfully courageous way. A prolific poet and podcaster, I live and breathe my own creativity and in turn inspire others to do the same

12 thoughts on “Feline Zen?”

      1. Catnip was the key for me, and… being ignored. Alex (the owner of the firm, and my primary caretaker) realized that if she ignored me long enough I would have to make the first move. It worked.

        Probably a different dynamic with 3 kitties though. They have each other to socialize with.

        Liked by 1 person

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