This month, I continue writing posts from prompts in the Writing Down the Bones Card Deck by Natalie Goldberg, shared with me by my friend Barb Edler of Iowa. I’m continuing this month so that I can experience the entire deck of prompts. Today’s post asks about a sport we love -or hate.
My favorite sport is dirt-strong-willed dog walking, and if it ever becomes a competitive sport, I’m going for gold. I’ve been competing against our dog Ollie for several years now, and though I have yet to win, I think every time I hook up the leash that I’m getting close. We have a double leash for two of our boys, and the other is allowed to walk off-leash. Not Ollie. He and Fitz share a double-ended leash, and Ollie pulls on one end while Fitz pulls in the opposite direction on the other end, leaving me as the midpoint referee. My poem today is a nonet, which has nine lines with that many syllables on each line, in ascending or descending order.
Dirt-Strong-Willed Dogwalking Nonet
taking Ollie on a walk involves
sheer tenacity as he pulls
doing his Ollie thing, hard
headed, clumsy, stubborn,
falling in every
grass-covered hole
climbing out
dirt-strong-
willed
Common Threads 
For me it is enough to walk one dog. Finding patience and peace while the dog is pulling and sniffing at everything along the way is tough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Margaret, the truth is I’m more cut out for one to walk……
LikeLike
Love your nonet. They always look so easy to write. With students they are a good way to get them to work with word choice based on structure and line breaks–thinking about how you want your reader to read it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Alice, yes, and it’s an easy form to remember how to write, too.
LikeLike
I know this type of dog determination! I had a terrier who pulled like a draft horse. I guess he had many miles to go before he slept!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that nod to Frost! I call this trio my team of sled dogs because they are so strong. Thanks for reading today!
LikeLike
Kim,
Ollie has personality and a strong will, both important in dogs and humans. Stanley bit me this morning, on accident of course but hard enough to draw a tiny bit of blood from my finger. His will is in wresting treats from my hand while we’re out each morning. These times w/ dogs are among the best of each day. And isn’t it grand that we can celebrate our pets in poems?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. It’s great to celebrate pets AND poems and pets IN poems. Sorry about your finger – – sounds like somebody got a little too excited.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your poem and your tenacity with Ollie, that, “Today is the day.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Debbie!
LikeLike
Your words pain Ollie as not only strong willed, but also filled with spirit and character. I suspect on his end, the thoughts might be, “Oh yeah, this looks like a nice deep and dirty hole. Let’s see if I can get into it so that she has to get that look on her face that I love….”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anita, that’s him! Yes!
LikeLike
Love how you captured Ollie’s personality.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! He is a character for sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kim, “dirt-strong-willed” is such a great phrase! Good old Ollie. I love how you said you would go for the gold if dirt-strong willed dog walking was a competitive sport. Such a cute post!
LikeLike