SkeleTom Cat – A Halloween Cat Poem for Kids with Heart and Haunt

Skeletom Cat

Furless, and skinless, no lungs and no heart
His claws clack and scuttle and scurry and dart

Fangs in his skull, flicker-flit under moon
Meowing and growling his sorrowful tune

Alleyway SkeleTom Cat’s on the prowl
He hotfoots, arched spine, hackle-less, full of howl

SkeleTom Cat slinks beneath the parked cars
Avoiding the prying and dying old stars

Bony, transparent, he’ll never been seen
His quest though, eternal, to find his Earth Queen

Head over paws, once alive full of love
Besotted pet cats vowed to meet up above

Heavenly bound, reunited they’d be
Rekindling romance from the old garden tree

Kittens of Earth, they once frolicked and played
and through their nine lives, their true passion unswayed

One fateful night in the stare of headlights
Old Tom petrified, lost his life, lost his fight

Furless, and skinless, no lungs and no heart
His claws clack and scuttle and scurry and dart

Tom cannot rest until he’s found his Queen
But night after night, she’s nowhere to be seen

Mark Bird


💡 Teaching & Creative Ideas:

This poem opens up rich opportunities across the curriculum. Children can write their own ghost animal tales or love-after-life poems, exploring theme and emotion through metaphor. In drama, they could create a soundscape of the alley or improvise scenes between Tom and his Queen. Artistically, the poem begs to be illustrated – from shadowy cat silhouettes to glowing night skies. Use it to explore rhyme, empathy, suspense, and symbolism – all wrapped in the thrill of Halloween.