A very special thank you to our November Open Write hosts Fran Haley and Kim Johnson. We so appreciate your care for our words, hearts, and minds with your thoughtful prompts and compassionate responses. We are taking a break in December, so join us in January for the new year of Open Writes.
Our Hosts
Fran Haley is a literacy educator with a lifelong passion for reading, writing, and dogs. She lives in the countryside near Raleigh, North Carolina, where she savors the rustic scenery and timeless spirit of place. She’s a pastor’s wife, mom of two grown sons, and the proud Franna of two granddaughters: Scout, age seven, and Micah, age two. Fran never tires of watching birds and secretly longs to converse with them (what ancient wisdom these creatures possess!). When she’s not working, serving beside her husband, being hands-on Franna, birding, or coddling one utterly spoiled dachshund, she enjoys blogging at Lit Bits and Pieces: Snippets of Learning and Life.
Kim Johnson, Ed.D., lives on a farm in Williamson, Georgia, where she serves as District Literacy Specialist for Pike County Schools. She enjoys writing, reading, traveling, camping, sipping coffee from souvenir mugs, and spending time with her husband and three rescue schnoodles with literary names – Boo Radley (TKAM), Fitz (F. Scott Fitzgerald), and Ollie (Mary Oliver). You can follow her blog, Common Threads: Patchwork Prose and Verse, at www.kimhaynesjohnson.com.
Inspiration
We have enjoyed collaborating on this series of Open Writes inspired by the work of Poet Laureate Ada Limón! Next April, honor National Poetry Month with us by taking part in the discussion of Limón’s book, The Hurting Kind (you can join via Sarah Donovan’s new Healing Kind book club).
In the past few days we’ve written along many themes in Limón’s work: Family, community, belonging, nature.
Today we expand all that to include a celebration of our pets—in our case, dogs! We decided to end our Open Writes on a fun note.
Or should we say a punny note?
Time for some doggerel!
Process
Doggerel is intentionally bad poetry (what a relief)! Dictionary.com defines it as “comic verse composed in irregular rhythm…verse or words that are badly written or expressed.”
Many nursery rhymes are considered doggerel. Remember this?
I eat my peas with honey
I’ve done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife.
—Frequently attributed to Anonymous and Ogden Nash
Speaking of Odgen Nash, consider these lines of his:
I sit in an office at 244 Madison Avenue
And say to myself you have a responsible job, havenue?
Why then do you fritter away your time on this doggerel?
If you have a sore throat you can cure it by using a good goggerel…
You can read that whole poem and more here.
Today, celebrate the pets (hopefully dogs) in your life with a short whimsical, silly, rhyming or non-rhyming verse. Perhaps a limerick…
or write some haiku
and if you don’t have a dog
—sigh. A cat will do.
Just have pun! Er, fun!
Fran’s Poem
A Bit of Doggerel in Honor of My Granddog, Henry
Time for a nap
time to recharge
if only for a bit
on a teeny-tiny pillow
that ain’t a good fit
this is what comes
of living large
Kim’s Poem
(Texts and verse written with Boxer Moon as he delivered wood and saw the dogs at my house – I asked if I could use our texts for doggerel, and this is what we wrote in our rural Georgia vernacular):
Logs & Limbs & Dogs & Dem
I hope dem dogs don’t get me, he sent
In a text on delivering wood
Dey real visshus, I sent back
We put dem up
‘cause you need yo’ limbs
***
Did dem dogs get you?
I checked on the poetic woodcutter
Dem dog’gerel visshus,
but dem dog’dint get me, he replied.
***
The Woodcutter’s Afterword:
Dem Kim’s lims now
Dem dogs dint get me,
I stack’t da logs and lef’ dem dogs
-Kim and Boxer
Your Turn
Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.
That short and stubby dog is loud
but only because he is proud
His wideness might take up walking space
but this home is his place
There is no better space for this dog to be in
Our hands lovingly rub against him; this, is his win
Andrew, what an endearing image, this short, stubby, wide dog who’s so proud of his people and home! I can see him getting underfoot (“taking up walking space”) as most affectionate dogs do – I can also tell how greatly he’s loved, with all those pats. What would our lives BE without these creatures? Utterly devoid!
Okee Wan was first
his personality burst.
Using his tongue to sniff,
getting the first whiff —
Pinky mice quenching his thirst.
Mr. LJ Gibbs joined us next,
Burrowed into a nest.
Such a tiny noodle
never too dull.
Small tunnels show his treks.
©️Jennifer Kowaczek Nov 2023
No dogs, no cats here. Too many allergies in this house for that! Thank you Fran and Kim for giving us space to intentionally write bad poetry. I love our pets: Okee Wan on the left; Mr. LJ Gibbs on the right 😊
Oh, those pinky mice! I remember feeding my brother’s snakes growing up. You brought me right back to those days. I love tiny noodle!
Well, I’ve been expecting pets other than dogs or cats…I gotta say, although I am not sure I will ever be a snake owner, that they’re truly fascinating creatures. Do they get “excited” when they see you?? I love your wonderful rhyming – “his personality burst” does give me a bit of a shiver! “Tiny noodle,” however, makes me smile – perfect endearment for a pet snake. Their names amaze me. Thank you for your fun and compelling poem as well as for your comments, Jennifer.
Jennifer, I was so confused about the pinky mice initially (“Wait: your dog eats pinky mice? And what is pinky mice??”) until I saw the pix. I love snakes, and yours are so cute! ❤️ Loved your limerick idea to them!
Jennifer,
I appreciate the diversity your pet snakes bring!
Good Dogs
(You know you’re doggerlling when you shorten “visitor” to “v’s’tor”!
“Good dog, yes, but stay outside,”
we said each morning noon and nigh.
“Let Scuffy sleep with me!” they’d wail
as Scruffy whined, unwagged his tail–
Now grown and living on their own
my offspring from the nest have flown–
Their new abodes are canine-packed!
My breast I beat! My brain I wrack!
I sit, a v’s’tor in their homes,
and silence my internal moans–
I thought the pets belonged outside.
But Scruffy won; he’s now inside.
Allison, your poem is so fun! I really like the turn, your children changing the rules.
Allison, we had a Scruffy, too. He was well loved by my boys- a real lap dog. Love your rhymes!
Allison, this is a pure delight to read! Fave lines:
Their new abodes are canine-packed!
My breast I beat! My brain I wrack!
-and I gotta love “unwagged his tail.” So much fun – forgive me for being glad Scruffy won!
Allison,
The development within the poem is cute. The rhyming is a lot of fun!
Allison,
I was raised in an outside dog house… All of my siblings and I have inside dogs, who’d a thunk. I like how the spirit of Scruffy wins in the long run. Subtle kindness on your part, recognizing that they are all good dogs, maybe in hindsight?
Thank you thank you Kim and Fran for hosting this week. I’m proud to say that I’ve actually participated in all 5 days this month! Fran, Henry seems like a Big Lover “on a teeny-tiny pillow” “Living large” and in charge! As a true Southerner, I appreciated the poem by Kim and Boxer! I tried to visualize the encounter and the voices I created in my head were comical. But I love the spelling of “visshus” and am tempted to put it in my writing somehow! And can I just request that Boxer be now known as “The poetic woodcutter”? Please and thanks! I’ll also say this was my favorite day.
I don’t have any pets (I know) but at my previous placement my supervisor was gifted a dog who had a “not so good life”. I worked in an alternative learning environment at a children’s home and these kids longed for a forever home. Mirabel (Merra Belle is how we pronounce it in our best southern Spanish) is now a service dog in training working in an environment where she is loved and cared for. A perfect fit! So this is in honor of Mirabel who is my daughter’s favorite!
Mirabel, a Not-so-Standard Poodle
Barking at known strangers
when they enter with love
Interrupting lessons
to give out free hugs
But then an accidental mistake of leaving
a door ajar
Creates an open invitation
to poop on the floor
Then we remember she’s just a puppy
trying to fit in.
A not so standard poodle is cracking me up! I debated including bodily functions in my poem, as there are plenty of stories to tell! I like the phrase “known strangers” in your poem.
Thank you Mo. she is definitely “one of a kind”! Well if there’s one thing Mirabel did well, it was poop on carpet, lol. I think she’s gotten much better now.
Oh my goodness, Jessica, this story of Mirabel yanks on the heartstrings. Her hard beginning leading, amazingly, to training for service to kids who want a forever home – heaven help us, it’s sad enough to think of animals needing one. The word that comes to mind is grace: Mirabel is trying. And that photo-! She’s precious! Trying to give comfort to the weary. Loved your whole intro (“Merra Belle,” lol…I can hear it plainly, I’ve lived in the South all my life). Cheers for writing poems all five days! I have enjoyed reading them and am delighted that today is your favorite. Hope you and yours have a lovely holiday.
Thank you so much Fran! Have a wonderful holiday and I hope it is filled with fun and rest!
Jessica, that picture! Lol! ❤️ Loved this ode to Mirabel.
Thank you Wendy! I need to print it and frame it for my daughter. I got a chance to see Mirabel on last Thursday. Don’t tell my daughter. 🤫😆
Kim and Fran,
I loved, loved your poems! Loved the vernacular of Fran’s and the giggle-worthy imagery of Kim’s. I decided to go with a limerick about our doggo today and am going to try to share a picture — though often Wrodpress doesn’t like my file size. 😉
There was a young Corgi named Sprout
Who had a nonstop sniffy snout
He tracked down his meals
By dogging our heels
And, denied, became rather put out.
P.S. Couldn’t add a pic using the icon, so here’s a link! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NkaDwLCcpGx43LGeC6tNCEh6Hh2o932hCFPSypyXd2I/edit?usp=sharing
Sprout and Freeway are kindred spirits. He’s desperately trying to get us to feed him at this moment. I love “sniffy snout.”
Love it, Mo. XD. Sprout could seriously eat all day!
Wendy, so funny, and rhyme scheme brings it home! I love the picture of Sprout – – those perky ears and focused eyes say he is ON A MISSION to get a bite of that food!
Wendy, Sprout is my kinda guy, chill and loves to eat! And handsome Corgi too! “And, denied, became rather put out.” He sounds like me when I don’t get my way.
Lol, Wendy, thank you for your poem and for your picture of Sprout, so intent on the food! The limerick is the perfect verse for your poem today!
Wendy, I love Corgis – my dad had one and it was one of the most devoted little dog I ever saw. And dompletely spoy-ult! Your limerick rolls merrily along, pure fun with that wonderful alliteration, “sniffy snout.” Thanks for sharing “poor Sprout” with us – what an intriguing name. He’s SO CUTE!
For Bitty and Freeway
By Mo Daley 11/22/23
I have a tough old Yorkshire Terrier named Bitty,
Who apparently roamed the streets of her city,
She came from the South
With no teeth in her mouth
But we think her tongue lolling is rather pretty!
Freeway is a foundling whose type is quite rare,
There’s only a few breeders here and there
A Löwchen you see
Was bred for royalty
They trimmed them like lions on their derrière!
Mo,
Do your pups know they are the inspiration for a venture into the limerick? I loved the accents as extra on the derriere, and you really get an idea of Bitty with the toothless mouth!
Mo, how fun! Derrière–what a perfect ending. Their names are so precious too.
Mo,
I chuckled at the rare-derriere rhyme. And looked up lowchen! Very fun!
Haha! Love the last lines in both of these, Mo! Using “derriere” as a rhyme? Inspired! XD
Mo, such endearing images – – toothless with a lolling tongue and trimmed derriere of lion quality. What an interesting duo, and I know so full of fun and love and laughter in your house!
Hi Mo, thank you for sharing today. I wonder which southern state Bitty came from? I wonder who were her peeps…or pups? 😀
“She came from the South
With no teeth in her mouth
But we think her tongue lolling is rather pretty!” are my favorite lines because I can see the gummy smile!
She came to Illinois via Texas, we were told. Freeway was at a kill shelter in Georgia. We are so happy to have both of them!
That’s quite a ways. So close to Arkansas, lol. I’m glad you all found each other. When my kids are grown and out of our house, we may finally get a pet, lol.
Mo, what an entertaining pair of limericks! I can see these starkly contrasting pups being in some kind of movie about their own lives. A biopic, lol. Give Bitty and Freeway some extra scratches for us from Open Write and tell ’em you’ve made them stars. 🙂
These poems were doggone fun!! Fran and Kim, thank you for a fun five days!
I apologize in advance – I picked a different animal than a dog or a cat…I’m realizing it’s time my adult sons took over a certain task/tradition.
Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!
I cry fowl
year to year one task taunts me
pinkish bony neck haunts me
reach into gross wet murky
pull those yucky innards lurking
why must I prep the turkey?
Maureen,
There are not enough poems dealing with our sense of touch, but this one went in a different direction. I can see why you don’t want to embrace the murky turkey. Good luck getting the boys to take it over!
Maureen this was such a fun twist on the theme! Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
Prefect title, Maureen! I think it’s time to let a restaurant do it, if your sons don’t want to take over. I think you wrote a perfect doggerel–funny with such winsome rhythm and rhyme.
Ogden Nash would be proud of this turkey of a poem, Maureen. Well done!
Maureen,
Agree! I do hate this task. Definitely persuade them to take over. XD. Love the rhetorical question at the end of this!
So Maureen, guess what I just did 10 minutes ago?? Because ours will be a crock pot turkey and will be cooked overnight. I agree, the gross wet murky with the pink neck hiding out just waiting to be grabbed is the part of the job of cooking the turkey I could do without. Bleh! I am cheering this poem and hoping your sons will take the dive this year.
Love it Maureen! “reach into gross wet murky
pull those yucky innards lurking” is a great visual of just hat I experienced. I have only stuck my hand in a turkey once and it wasn’t even for my immediate family. But yeah, no more, lol. Luckily, it was an “all hands in guts” cooking experience. Let us know how it turns out!
Maureen – bleeccchhhhh! What marvelous word choices-! They create the gory scenario perfectly. Your limerick’s title is sublime also – what fun to read; even though I shudder, I laugh aloud – and yeah, time for that next generation to take it on, hear, hear!
Fran—couldn’t you find that poor dog a bigger pillow??!!🤣
He honestly believes he is a laptop, Gayle! He doesn’t get why he doesn’t fit! 🥹😆
-A LAPDOG* -!! 🤦♀️
Haha!
Fran & Kim — thank you so much for hosting this month’s Open Write and for your fantastic prompts. I was unable to participate as much as I had hoped this month, but I plan to revisit and write with your inspirations. I don’t have a dog but we have adopted a outdoor cat. I’m told if we’ve named him, he is ours.
Simba
If there’s a mouse in the house
you pounce (I’m assuming.
It’s never ACTUALLY happened like that.)
You’re an outdoor cat
and all the mice know that.
Several years have passed since
We found you eating out of our trash.
Now, you come to our door
like it is some kind of store.
You’ve grown picky about your food,
Not any old cat kibble will do.
Now, it’s only pate for you.
Simba is your name.
Chasing chipmunks is your game.
It seems you think you are a dog
sauntering behind us as we walk,
but that’s not all.
You come to us when we call,
attach to us like a shawl.
This orange tabby loves us all.
So fun, Tammi.
“you come to us when we call” is just like a canine; and that line of “like it is some kind of store” lets us know Simba is charge here. Love it.
Sarah
Oh, Tammi, what a heartwarming story-poem, in rhyme! The image of Simba following you as you walk, so precious. That’s one smart cat. Yes – he is yours 🙂 Thank you for all your words here.
What a sweet little ‘found’ friend – love these two lines, especially
Tammi, Simba seems like a sweetheart. You have captured Simba, and I love how you address this orange tabby. Sweet!
Tammi,
I think there are outdoor cats like Simba that probably get spoiled more than some indoor cats. They seem to respond more to their owner’s presence, and you captured that in the last stanza. I love how you relate being worried about Simba’s eating habits in the transition from cheaper kibble (c’mon, it is an outside cat) to pate. My friend has an outside cat like this, except she is trying to compete against another neighbor who fed the cat baked beens.
Tammi,
This is too good to be a “bad” poem! “Simba is your name. Chasing Chipmunks is your game” reminds me of Rapper’s Delight!
Tammi! I love this cat love! We adore our cats. Well, we just lost one, Cutie. Had to put her to sleep a month ago. Sigh. But we still have Pablo, an outdoor cat, like Simba (love the name, btw!) who is the love of our lives.
Loved:
“Simba is your name.
Chasing chipmunks is your game.”
LOL. Made me chuckle.
Tammi, what a perfect way to capture just the quirky personality of Simba, who is preferring pate these days. This cat chose you as its family – – I think he believes he is your fierce protector following you around! Cute!
Fran and Kim,
Thanks for the focus today, and your efforts with the other prompts! People love to talk/write about their puppers, and I’m no exception. I tried to find a mantra I could use for when I take them on walkies, for indeed, they travel long and low…
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Gretta and Zuko
We travel long and low
long and low,
mummy wrapped sleeping
but never slow,
never slow.
Grayboat and Mr. Man
doing what they can,
following the dachshund master plan,
barking at the siren,
lickin the can,
tippy taps in morning
waiting for the hooman.
We travel long and low
long and low,
mummy wrapped sleeping
but never slow,
never slow.
Mr. Man has heart and bark
chasing the bag in the yard’s dark
Grayboat looking low,
sniffing for scents, biting her toe
Zuko quick to anger,
Gretta old and slow to poop,
still a team, once they leave the stoop.
We travel long and low
long and low,
mummy wrapped sleeping
but never slow,
never slow.
Rex,
By the second refrain, I feel the rhythm of the walk. The “we” seems to say that they welcome you, making you the trio to their duo. What a team you make.
Sarah
Rex!! As somebody with a looong association with dachshunds (no pun intended, honest), I have to say you masterfully captured their personality traits; they DO wrap themselves like mummies to sleep (sometimes I think “burrito”.). Your refrains, those wonderful chants, almost feel like a Greek chorus. Pure delight! The repetitions move the poem just like those inch-long legs power those “never slow” bodies (except, of course, during mummy-wrapped sleeping). What a joy to read! Thank you for all your words-
Rex—your refrain is perfection. Two things true of dachshunds (3?)—ground height, sleeping all wrapped up, and that quick patter. You’ve got them all, in perfect rhythm…
So many precious observations about these very dear pets! Loved this –
Rex, this was awesome! Love the profile pic or your pooches! The refrain in here was great and did a terrific job underscoring your mood and meaning.
Rex, long and low but never slow is so fitting for dachshunds! I love the image and remember fondly the long and low travels with my Roxie and Chloe. They were some of the best dogs I ever had! I love that they are a team once they leave the stoop.
I have three (god, can I say it?) GRANDOGGIES of the long and low variety. I feel the poem on multiple levels (which is why I/we read poetry). I’d like to use this poem as an example of the author’s tone in my classes.
I have gone to the dogs…
Thanks for the great prompts this week! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving to all!
A Dog’s Doggerel
A rescue, there sleeps, is called Lucky.
If you leave him alone, he’s just duckie.
If you attempt a slight nudge,
Or his teeth you misjudge,
The tips of your fingers you’ll suck..y.
Shaun,
Lol!
Sounds like, Lucky is not a dog to creep up on!
Hi, Shaun.
We lived with a Lucky, too. A rescue who needs to be left alone — I get that. Who doesn’t live with trauma and want to protect themselves from unwanted nudges! Keep your fingers to yourself. Geesh!
So thankful to have you and your poems!
Sarah
Shaun! You have me laughing out loud with this SO FUN limerick! It’s wonderful, with that forced part at the end just topping it all off. Thank you for all of your poetic offerings this week and happy Thanksgiving to you also.
Shaun— this belongs in a children’s book of poems somewhere! Perfect!!
Ha! “The tips of your fingers you’ll suck..y” – I know a toddler like this, if you surprise her…
Shaun,
I like the trip up at the end to get the finger pain relief. What part of the house does he take over?
Indeed, he is lucky! This brings the humor to the tense situations rescues can bring – – – we have one who does.not.play. I understand this takes a special level of love for these babies!
KIm and Fran,
Thank you for a fun and challenging week. I got in where I could and really enjoyed writing to the prompts in a very packed week! I hope that you (and all of the fellow poets on the site) enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with your families, found families, and four legged friends!
Quit Barking at me, the poem is purrrfect
I’m not really one for pets
and that don’t leave me with deep regrets
Allow this taxonomical illustration
To thusly illuminate my hesitation:
You can keep your Felis Catus and Canis Lupus
I refuse to become a Poopus Scoopus.
Dave,
Your poem really had me laughing. We felt the same way about pets until we accidentally adopted an outdoor cat. This is a perfect situation for us as there is no Poopus Scoopus for us, either!
Oh, what a great title, Dave, and that last line is purrfect. We are also a household without pets, so I had to dig into my childhood for today’s poem — no fun there. But this, this I wish I had crafted!
Thankful,
Sarah
Dave! Love it! I appreciate the laugh and the humor, which feels very much like The Cow by a Ogden Nash, sophisticated words for such an ordinary action.
Dave – I can’t say I blame you! Your use of scientific names and especially the invented one (!!) made me remember the Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons – gosh, haven’t though of that in, like, forever. The rhyming is so good – and I absolutely love the humorous, lofty tone of these lines:
Allow this taxonomical illustration
To thusly illuminate my hesitation..
I so enjoyed your poems this week. Thank you for all your words and I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving as well.
Dave— the last line, the pepper names, the whole thing! As a long lived Poopus Scoopus, I see your wisdom!!!
Ha! That’s me “I refuse to become a Poopus Scoopus.” I can definitely relate!
Dave,
Short and to the point, although the variation on grabbing crap makes me feel feel somewhat more of an emperor than a lowly human.
Hee hee! This was great wordplay, Dave!
Dave, I’m chuckling over here as we often have to do the Poopus Scoopus thing. At home, not so much on the farm, but in campgrounds – which is where we are now – the evening duty has been handled and the days ahead will be filled with plenty of knee bends. Ha!
Kim and Fran, this week of writing has been delightful! I have enjoyed your prompts and I don’t want it to end. I cracked up at the big dog on that little pillow. So cute! Kim, you and Boxer nailed it! I love the exchange and the language is perfect!
I was once a dog mom but I’ve been a cat mom most of my life. I am looking forward to owning a dog again but it won’t be until I’m retired and can safely travel without worrying who will dogsit. LOL. I love dogs but really want to see what travel comes with retirement.
Here’s my hope for the future dog in my life. Thanks again, ladies, this was super fun!
When I retire I plan to own a dog again
He will wait at the window tapping the pane
Or whine to have more chow mein
When I retire I plan to own a dog again
I hope the neighbors don’t come plain
We fancy and we drink champagne
©Stacey L. Joy, 11/22/23
Cheers to the holidays! 🥂
Stacey,
Sounds like your future dog will be a perfect companion
“tapping the pane” and eating “chow mein”!
Stacey,
I love this idea of a dog “We fancy and we drink champagne” — now that sounds like a retirement. We don’t have a dog either, because of travel and our long working hours. But when travel stops, having a pup at home to drink champagne with sounds quite nice.
Thankful,
Sarah
Stacey – too, too cute! I adore the wordplay with hoping the neighbors don’t “come plain” ’cause you and your dog will be fancy, drinking champagne. -Love! I foresee rhinestone studded collars and such in your future. Thank you for your always-gracious words. Have a wonderful holiday!
We fancy and we drink champagne! I love this so much. You have the retirement plan dreams are made of!
Stacey,
That last line! Hee hee!
“We fancy and we drink champagne”
I have a mental picture of you and your imagined doggo, sipping some bubbly together.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Stacey, I love your spirit in thinking of a future dog! The double meaning of complain and come plain with the drinking of champagne is witty and clever! We’ve had fun this week with some dogs and birds, and I admire your spirit in writing along even though birds are not your thing – you still stuck with us and wrote, and we admire you for that! Have a wonderful Thanskgiving! Cheers to you!
Stacey,
Cheers to fancy neighbors! I was a cat owner a looong time ago and I really enjoyed my cats. Not sure that there is another pet in my future, but the idea of a retirement pet is tempting!
Kim and Fran, thank you so much for a fun week of writing. Your sweet love for dogs and birds and Ida Limon made the week a joyfest. Henry “living large” and Kim and Boxer having a conversation about dogs and wood and turning it into a poem makes me smile today. We have a dog very part-time when my sister comes over with Sonny, so I wrote about him today,
There once was a dog named Sonny
Whose lifelong goal was not money
All he wanted was rubs
Castle King he was dubbed
treat-tingle-treat of the tummy
Denise,
Love this line, “Castle King he was dubbed.” A perfect moniker. I haven’t had a dog in my life since I was a teenager, but I do remember how ours ruled the house too.
Denise,
The rhyme is so fun. I am not sure we ever had limericks in our Open Writes, but it seems that the doggeral inspiration has surfaced this forgotten form for us all. So happy for some lighthearted cheer with Castle King!
Sarah
Denise, what a precious limerick for Sonny! I can tell he’s extra-loved on these visits. Castle King, no doubt – and your last line makes the limerick rhythm even more musical (you have such an ear!). I so enjoyed reading your poems this week – thank you for all your words.
Denise— I couldn’t get to the limerick form today, but you nailed it! Castle King says a lot about his life status! Lucky dog!
Denise,
I wasn’t sure what treat-tingle-treat means, but it has a power to it…something that servants bring to a king or queen…num nums times ten!
Denise, that last line was a tongue-twister and a pleasure to read! Gotta love the tummy rubs! <3
Denise, all the humor of the doggerel really captures the personalities of the dogs and other pets, including Sonny. I know well the one who prefers a tummy rub over all else – – and the treat-tingle-treat is the goal! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
How adorable is this! I believe the Castle King should reign over all the land!
Finny Finn Finn
On the day you were adopted
You were so cute and so calm, what a win
Didn’t know you were sedated
You continued to be full of surprises
Despite them, you fit right in
Families come in all shapes and sizes
Finny Finn Finn
Finny Finn Finn! What a great name. I love how this is the first and last line. The fact that he had been sedated made me laugh! He definitely looks like he has some surprises, and also happy to be part of your family.
It was good to see you here this month, Emily!
Emily — I agree. “Families [do] come in all shapes and sizes.” Finny Finn Finn is such a fun name!
Emily,
Thanks for the picture of Finny Fin Fin. I wonder what he makes of the new edition to your family. You got me cracking up with the line “Didn’t know you were sedated.” Ha!
Sarah
OMG Emily – he was sedated?? He sprang to lively life after the adoption? Oh, what trickery-!! But I can tell it was worth it, is still worth it, by the way you “sing” his name. Finn is a beautiful boy, smiling here for everyone. I love every bit of this.
Emily—I love that you didn’t know he was sedated! It says so much about his real nature, and I am so glad you kept Finny Finn Finn! It’s sort of like your children—you take what is give. You and love it, secret sedation aside!
Emily,
What a great twist with an adorable dog that starts out sedated. He looks like a Finny Finn Finn! I like how he fit in, in spite of surprises. I think some of the messiest and most costly acts from my dogs have made them forever a part of family stories.
Emily, lol! That last line of your first stanza made me guffaw. Love the adorable picture of Finny Finn Finn!
Emily, what a great way to show the action of Finn by sharing that he was sedated. Nothing like a dog full of energy! He looks ready for anything in this picture. Most of all, he’s lucky to have you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Emily,
Your poem was fun to read! It made me think to my dogs and how I appreciate their company 🙂
For the early morning writers, the picture of the dog in the post today is Henry! It accompanies Fran’s poem. Apologies to Henry (and Fran and Kim) for my error. We love Henry.
There once was a dog from Mesquite
Who danced on only three feet
He played in a band
Down on the sand
All the bitches– they thought he was sweet.
Emily, OMG, I’m cracking up! I don’t usually read and respond before I write, but I saw the opening line and knew it would be a fun limerick!
Hilarious!
Emily, bwahahaha! I love this, and the band on the sand makes me think of beaches, and then that next line……the twist of the word! It’s fabulous! You had fun with this one, and I had fun reading it.
Emily! I love this cute dog you have described here. The rhythm and rhyme is so fun–nailed it, like Ogden Nash.
Emily,
Lol!Love the rhythm and rhyme! What a fun poem! And that last line … just perfect!
Dying! I am! Really! Emily, what a perfect zinger of a limerick. Love, love, love it – thank you!
Emily—YES! Limerick perfection! So fun…
Haha — this was gold!
LMAO!!! Here’s to the dog from Mesquite. He sounds like quite the player!
How does a dog get to be a family member?
That is something that I respectfully wonder.
Oh to be chosen, Oh to be welcomed,
Oh to be fed first!
Oh to be ever snuggled with meat treats!
Because then a chore or homework or curfew oversight is fetch,
Because family member canines can just nap their way
out of discord if they don’t like it or
bark at a squirrel to change the subject
thus keeping the peace between parents.
Oh, if only I could have traded places with Lucky or Stripe.
Sarah, I love the first line….and all the rest, too! All these blessings of dogs and what they mean and how they live – – such rich observations and questions. That last line reminds me of the time I visited back home and my picture and my brother’s on the bookshelf had been replaced by our parents’ two dogs, Georgia and Mulligan. Thanks for giving us the space to share our wonderings and our stories. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Sarah, this is so interesting. I love your respectful wonderings of the phenomena that dogs are accepted without limitations or chores or homework or other expectations. They can “nap their way / out of discord” is such a powerful thought. You have given me much to think about today.
Sarah,
Yes, they have the best lives! Your poem captures the ease and enjoyment of a dog’s life! I wish I could do this:
Sarah,
Love this line: “Because family member canines can just nap their way
out of discord if they don’t like it.” Dogs really do have the life. Some days I wouldn’t mind trading places, too.
Sarah, my boys have often wondered what it would be like to have such cushy lives as our dogs. Such deeply telling lines: nap their way our of discord, barks at a squirrel to change the subject, keeping peace between parents. Your last line really hits home – I imagine the child wondering, wishing, envying Lucky and Stripe.
Sarah—as always, there is a story within your story, and I feel the longing for the love our pets receive and the arguments in which they don’t have to participate (or understand). Happy Thanksgiving!
Fran, Thanks for this fun prompt. I’m popping in with an invitation to write to a sunset photo: https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2023/11/22/this-photo-wants-to-be-a-poem-sunset-photo/
Love this humor, Kim and Fran. Thinking about my dog days at the ages of 10-27. Sniffy (part Beagle/part Fox Terrier) had a very good and long life! This poem is about a long ago Thanksgiving when he was about 10 years old.
All In!
Ah! at last!
They have left
the kitchen.
Now, it’s all mine!
What do I smell?
Cranberry sauce,
Chestnut stuffing,
Sweet potatoes
topped with those
gooey white puffs,
Pumpkin pie and
Ah! Yes! Turkey!
Big glorious bird!
Your carcass
is a cavern
I think I’ll dive
Right in!
Aaah! What’s that noise?
The dog knocked
over the garbage!
He’s inside the turkey!
All we can see
is his wagging tail.
He won’t come out!
He’s growling,
Ah! Mine – all mine!
Get your own!
Ha! Your carcass is a cavern – – I love that expression. I had a dog that once did exactly that – – attacked the carcass and got sick everywhere after it was all over. Oh, the memories with our dogs – the good, the bad, and the ugly. And we wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thanks for writing and sharing this fun, Joanne.
Hahahaaa!! I love this so much! I can see that tail wagging while he’s inside the turkey! What a great memory! Thanks for the laughs, Joanne!
Joanne-! I can just see Sniffy inside that carcass-cavern, thinking he’d won the dog lottery or gone to dog heaven! The whole image of him not coming our and growling – hysterical. The voice all the way through is just wonderful and I so love the title – perfect!
Joanne, such vivid details! Lol. “Your carcass / is a cavern / I think I’ll dive / Right in!” Such a funny line! Thank you for writing and sharing. Have a great Thanksgiving!
To Whom It May Concern:
I’ve got a bone to pick with you
and I’m tired of letting sleeping
dogs lie. I’ve waited idly by
for far too long but every dog
has its day and they say that
everything eventually will go
to the dogs (after a number
of dog day afternoons or
several dog days of summer)
because, look, it really is a
dog-eat-dog world out there
but, listen, I’m going to give
you a chance here, a real
good shot at avoiding going
to the doghouse, you
understand?
You must cease and
desist any usage of
any disparaging remarks
about the Canis lupus
familiaris.
Get me?
No more getting sick
as a dog or working
like a dog or barking
up the wrong tree,
I’m tired of it,
no, not dog tired,
just tired
and although my
bark might be worse
than my bite,
my bite is pretty
bad, too.
(I mean, just take
a look at this, I’m
so fed up by this,
this situation,
what did I do?
I wrote a poem:
devastating,
I know)
So, do we have
an understanding?
Have we reached
an agreement?
Dog ear this moment
in your memory to
hopefully give you
pause the next time
you want to take
a dog’s name in
vain (doggone it,
I’m looking at you)
and just remember
that this is pretty
lousy behavior
directed toward
(supposedly)
man’s best friend.
Oh, and for Dog’s
sake, stop using
the female canine
name as a slur.
It’s pretty tacky.
Do better.
_____________________________________________
Fran and Kim, thank you so much for the wonderful prompts and poems these past days! I’ve had a howlin’ good time (…I’ll see myself out…) composing alongside everyone this month. In terms of today’s prompt, I started with mock outrage – a fun “voice” to fall into – that the term doggerel meant poetry that is “badly written or expressed” and I thought, what’s this all about? Then I flashed back to all those Gary Larson comics where the dog is trying to lure the cat into various traps and whatnot. The one that vividly comes to mind is the dog trying to get the cat into the dryer by writing the words “cat fud” on the door. And, again, I take umbrage with this. Why can’t the dogs spell? Why are they associated with bad grammar? This bothers me. Then I started researching all the “dog” idioms we have, and I ask you (don’t worry, this is a rhetorical question, lol) why are there so many negative expressions about/with dogs? I felt like I had to take a stand. (And, by that, of course, I mean, I had to sit down and write a poem about it…)
Scott – how I champion this dog-defense of dogs! The voice is perfect (no – that’s too close to purr-fect); let me rephrase: You nailed the enDOGenous voice! My son’s dog, Henry (on the pillow, in the photo) has his own category (hmm – CATegory) on my blog where he occasional types remarkably professorial posts, intelligent creature that he is. I always enjoy your narrative almost as much as your lively poetry. Thank you for taking a stand on behalf of our canine friends who stand looking back at us with such unconditional love that we understand they, too, must have souls, for it is so plainly there in their eyes. Thank you for every single offering this week – they never fail to brighten the day.
Scott – this is brilliant! Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Scott,
This is so much fun. The poem feels like an exhale of dog puns, and I could see your mind swirling with words waiting to make them into the little text box strung together like only you can in your signature tone. This is so wonderful. Then, I read your annotation to learn that you researched the idioms and used this poem as a text of advocacy — to recontextualize the negative. Oh, what a poet can do!
Peace,
Sarah
Scott–That was hilarious, and so clever. I had to read it to my husband this morning!
Scott, as always, you bring the element of surprise and fun to poetry. What an enjoyable read this morning. As you mention the Gary Larson comics, I’m thinking of all the voiceovers that RockStar does with the dogs, where people send in their dog videos and he voices the dog’s perspective. We watch them, laugh, and watch them again and again. Every line in your poem brings smiles today! I agree – – we need more positive expressions where dogs are concerned. Thanks for a week of fun, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Another incredible poem, Scott! You have honored the dogs in a way no one else could!
The ending is PRICELESS!!! We must do better!! Happy holidays, Scott, and thank you for entertaining me this morning!
Scott. I knew there a lot of dog-isms out there, but I believe you resurrected some that I haven’t heard in a long while. This is cat-egorically supurrrrb!
Hi, All – just wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed writing alongside each of you in this amazing place of creative outpourings and healing offerings. I am grateful for you, your poems, for poetry being a unique channel of the soul that connects us the way it does.
Thank you, Sarah, for this gathering-place of caring community.
Kim: These five day have been a joy! Looking forward to collaborating again with the book study in April. I also want to apologize for my photo of Henry curled up on the pillow falling down into your poem today – it was supposed to follow my poem. Not sure why it landed this way, alas. Henry says he hopes you don’t mind. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and all your beloveds (human and other)-
Fran
Fran, I’m echoing your sentiments. Yes, this is indeed a place of creative outpourings and healings, and a place of blessings. Fitting, the day before Thanksgiving and every day, really, that we express our gratitude for this community and all it means to us.
I like how Henry landed! I hadn’t noticed it, but wow! He really adds a touch to what a dog does, just plops down wherever and melts into the space – – I think it’s divine doggervention that he landed right where he did.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thanks for a week of fabulous poetry and for connecting with heart!
A Dog named Mustard
Dont b throwing dem dogs no bones,
cabbage leaves taste better in cones.
cats don’t b chasing rats,
Tom lied, dats a fact!
Cows don’t pull plows,
Chickens get shots Owww!!
Humans are mustard chips,
Medium rare without da flip!
Lets watch a bone bury a dog,
and make ducks jump like frog.
Grasshoppers served with rice,
turnip greens with slug slice.
watch da worm eat da fish,
serve caviar on a plastic dish.
tha mouse will chase da cat,
Hogs b skinny not fat.
Cept’ for ol Tom in da yard,
headless it’s Pops thanksgiving card!
Naw!! let’s bake a bean,
slice it and see what’s between.
All the thing we want to change,
Twist it tight w half a brain.
None of dis gone make sense,
till you spend 11 hours in a fence!
Da hounds be barking cause Dey know,
Our ketchup stuck -can’t flow!
Da flopping flip – we turned reverse,
Rooster crow in evening verse.
What if we let b- what it b?
Able see what it see?
Meow, bark, and holler,
all of us sport da collar!
we gots to leave alligator theory,
crocodile smiles hear me?
so let’s revert da flop to flip
bark at us, we da mustard chips.
Oh one mo’ before I go,
change da heat to Ga. Snow!
Boxer – a break from the heat for a Georgia snow for a Georgia dog (and everyone) would be a gift, indeed. With the crazy weather patterns of late – who knows? I gotta love Mustard’s name; this dog clearly adds so much spice to life, with a rollicking flip to flop and the humans being mustard chips (medium rare – yikes!) Such visuals-!!
Boxer,
I so appreciate the activist lines of common sense (till you spend 11 hours in a fence and all of us sport a collar) woven within the imaginative reversals (crocodile smiles hear me).
The couplets create such a whimsical rhythm but the ideas here do have some dark notes. That is craftful, sir.
Peace,
Sarah
Boxer, always so cleverly flipping scripts and thinking outside the box – – thanks for such fun today! We had a rooster that crowed at all hours – he never got ANYTHING right, and your poem brings back the nuttiest memories of him trying to be a regular rooster. Cover y’all’s ears, cause I’mma whistle one of those deafening shrills to that last stanza. Bring on the cooler temps and give us some snow!
Kim, I LOVED both of your poems and this topic, a favorite subject and entity. I had trouble writing today as I was under attack (almost left this entire note with all the typos from the pawings).
up Up UP
it’s time to get UP!!!!
what is wrong with you,
lying there so lazily?
my alarm has been sounding
(nose nudges, paw swats, tongue kisses)
while you’ve been rebounding
from your “loooong” week
(really. how hard can it be
to hang with children,
my favorite people,
all day?)
Jennifer, that’s exactly what a dog must be thinking of us – your descriptions are spot-on! Oh, that face! Hope you and all yours have a wonderful holiday.
That dog face is worth a thousand words! Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh, Jennifer,
I can hear the voice of this pup lecturing you to get out of bed. Perfect. That parenthetical at the end is the inner monologue as saunters away.
Sarah
Jennifer, truth! Oh, how I love this nose nudging you to GET UP AND LIVE LIFE! That’s what they do for us, right? Your buddy looks so sweet and loyal. I can see it in the eyes. I love his thoughts and voice in your poem.
The look your dog is giving you is full of reproach. Obviously, you are not taking proper care of him, and he just wants to let you know. Which he did when he wrote that poem for you! He’s really a very good poet! Lucky you…
You are so spot on! She was not having any of my poem writing!
Small Dog Hopes and Dreams
Out, out-out-out-OUT!
Something out there!
Must catch! Now!
Hurry up!
Now! Now! Now!
Where is SHE?
Human–get here!
Jump
HIGHER
(maybe she didn’t notice us)
SHE must hurry.
Thank Dog!
SHE is here!
OPEN THE DOGGONE DOOR!
Bolt
Sprint
Dash
Hurtle
Streak.
Careen
Blaze
nothing.
there.
Again.
SHE
was
too slow.
Time for a nap.
Next time…
GJ Sands
11/22/23
What a great way to end this poetry run! Thank you for a chance to make fun of my dogs yet again. And thank you for your poems. Kim—How lucky you are to have Boxer to correspond with! It was so fun to read!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Gayle, adore your poem and dog-voicing! And the wordplay is doggone wonderful, by dog! Thank you for the smile and the delight this morning. What a fun way to start off a short break from school. And that picture is the sweetest!
Gayle, this is surely what it must like to be a dog! Thank Dog – too good! I especially love the run of those poetic power-verbs, bolt, sprint, dash, hurtle, streak, careen, blaze – they’re so fun to read and so capture a dog in action. Hope you and all your beloveds have a lovely Thanksgiving.
So great, Gayle! Happy Thanksgiving.
Gayle,
Thank you for this great family picture — wish you were in it, too! Such a great photo of your spouse (and pups).
I love the way you use line breaks here, Gayle. The words work like a trail of the dog walking away toward the nap spot.
Peace,
Sarah
Gayle, that photo and your poem – both are heavenly comforting! The reversal of dog is so clever and fun! Yes, somehow I believe the ever-forgiving love of dogs is part of that spiritual kind of love. This poem from the dog’s voice is simply divine! Having a fellow writer like Boxer who lives right around the corner out past the old barns and ‘cross the medders and creek over yonder down the dirt road is indeed a blessing. Happy Thanksgiving, Gayle!
Oh, my people,
you’re just plain crazy –
You’re calling me lazy
but I’m just waiting
for my time to run,
waiting for the moment
to have playful fun
My eyes aren’t shut –
they’re only at rest –
and my ears, fully alert
So, squeak that ball
and call me to the door,
but until that time,
call me inert
Kevin, the picture adds so much to your words – to be able to see Rayna just waiting for the chance to jump up and play is priceless! Your opening line is so true of dogs – they’re not ours, we’re theirs. Your rhyming pairs are so fun, but alert and inert bring the moment of laughter that tell the full wisdom of dogs in knowing how to manage their time and energy. Perfect-O!
Kevin, what a beautiful friend you have (looking much like my Shadow). Thank you for capturing the essence of a dog, along with a life philosophy more of us should embrace.
Great nursery-rhyme feel; “call me inert” – priceless! Love this photo of regal, no-doubt reigning Rayna.
Great poem – just love: Call me Inert! Happy Thanksgiving!
Looks like Rayna is at a library or at school? I see the books and maybe a blackboard in the back? Love these lines “my eyes aren’t shut/they’re only at rest.”
Peace,
Sarah
Kevin, I love your poem and the image of Rayna just “waiting for the moment / to have playful fun”!