Maureen Thorson’s NaPoWriMo prompt: "write something that involves a story or action that unfolds over an appreciable length of time. Perhaps, as you do, you can focus on imagery, or sound, or emotional content (or all three!)"
Robert Lee Brewer’s Poem-a-Day prompt: "write an animal poem. The poem could be about an animal. Or it could just mention an animal in passing. Or include an animal in your title and fail to mention the animal once in your poem. Your poem, your rules."
Today's poem is a mashup of both prompts, imagining a pet dog throughout his entire life. As a boy, I had a black and white cocker spaniel named Argus. As an adult, I have had soft-coated wheaten terriers; I still have Blue, who lives with my ex-wife. I melded those real-life elements into this dog-life narrative in annual snapshots.
Anniversaries with Argus
Soft-coated wheaten
terrier pup, brown and black
comet of fur — fun!
Year 2, now ecru,
the adult color, but still
a silly goofball.
3 years old, Argus
must stay on leash . . . he’d run off
with any stranger!
Age 4, bouncy boy,
always the effervescent
puppy, run run run!
At 5, now square-jawed,
with wheaten goatee — grown up?
Nah, always a pup.
6th birthday, Argus
shreds a throw pillow, feathers
everywhere — snowstorm!
7 . . . how many
years in dog time? 49?
Still undignified.
Now 8, he pulls hard
while on a walk . . . he never
learned to heel. Bunnies!
9 years old, starting
to show some age: grizzled snout,
still mischievous eyes.
10, tug-of-war king,
cruncher of bones and meat treats,
afternoon long naps.
At age 11,
cancer caught early, removed,
dog smiles, laughs, relief.
12, hip dysplasia,
Argus now moving slower,
a pup in his heart.
13, while sleeping,
his paws twitch and quiver,
chase and hunt in dreams.
14, he didn’t
wake up this morning. Last night,
licked my hand goodbye.
—Draft by Vince Gotera [Do not copy or quote . . . thanks.]
Yesterday, I mentioned I was trying to keep the poems small for the first few days, just as a fun experiment, and I joked that after tankas on Day 1 and 2, I might go smaller, to a haiku or a single hay(na)ku. Well, okay, haiku today, but there's 14 of them! Technically, not full-on traditional haiku, but rather haiku stanzas, linked haiku.
With regard to my inspiration for the poem, here's a photo of my dog Blue, from last September, 2018.
Unlike the fictional Argus in the poem, Blue is still going strong, though starting to get old . . . yet still a puppy at heart, like most soft-coated wheaten terriers. Such a fun breed!
Friends, won’t you comment, please? Love to know what you’re thinking. To comment, look for a red line below that starts Posted by, then click once on the word comments in that line. If you don’t find the word “comments” in that line, then look for a blue link below that says Post a comment and click it once. Thanks!
Ingat, everyone. ヅ |
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