Patchwork Prose and Verse
I see his figure
peeking around the sage chair
looking right at me
acting non-chalant
resting briefly to lick paws
he stretches out, yawns
as if he does not
have a burning agenda
playing me a fool
his ball rests nearby
then a thump of his black tail
and a sudden pounce
an invitation
to an early-morning game
that I can’t resist
Fitz
Fitz and the Vent
’twas a mystery
that the floor vent was missing
gone; vanished; not there
I asked who stole it
Who would steal a vent? he quipped
I thought we had ghosts
our dog naps on it
in the summer to stay cool
but a Schnoodle thief?
how would he take it?
it’s heavy ~ and he has no
fingers to raise it
why would he want it?
still, my husband checked the bed
it was underneath
we both scratched our heads
he retrieved the vent, replaced
it in his closet
and then we heard it
bumping against the wood floors
when we checked, we saw
Fitz’s collar tag
was caught in the metal slats
as he dragged it out
one mystery solved:
we removed his collar tags
unchained his anchor
Camping families
more than half of us have pets
(One official stat)
the day after Open Writes
when we go back to writing
without the company of
friends makes me miss them
Mo Daley of Illinois is our host today at http://www.ethicalela.com for Day 5 of the July Open Write. She inspires us to write dodoitsu poems. Mo writes, “I was looking for poetic forms that I was unfamiliar with and stumbled upon the dodoitsu. It’s a four-lined Japanese form with no set rhyme scheme. Its syllabic structure is 7-7-7-5. The dodoitsu is usually comical and usually concerns love or work. Include a title if you wish.”
Mo notes that some consider the dodoitsu the Japanese limerick. It reminded me of our schnauzer, Fitz, who has CUPS disease and has had most of his teeth removed and is scheduled for the rest. He may have lost his teeth, but he hasn’t lost his ranking order.
Toothless Alpha
he’s practically toothless
our aging schnauzer alpha
gumming vicious warning snaps
at badass others
This day of the month is my favorite – the day when all three of my online writing groups converge – The Slice of Life (www.twowritingteachers.org), The Open Write (www.ethicalela.com), and The Stafford Challenge (a group on Facebook, led by Brian Rohr and inspired by William Stafford). I look forward to seeing my fellow writers in person at NCTE in Boston in November and hereby volunteer to work with others to help set up meet and greet points where we can all eat and write together. There is something special about getting to know a person through writing and then meeting them face to face.
Today’s host at http://www.ethicalela.com for Day 4 of the July Open Write is Gayle Sands of Maryland. She inspires us to write Important Thing Poems based on the childhood classic Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. You can read Gayle’s full prompt here, and I hope you will write a poem and share it!
I so love this prompt and its reach to everyone, everywhere. This prompt would work to inspire verse in grades Pre-K through 12 and beyond. Classic books have the power to change the world, I am convinced.
Sparking Hope
The important thing
about a flame
is that it sparks hope.
You can warm by it,
hold hands by it,
kiss by it, sleep by it.
You can see with it,
you can remember through it,
you can glow in it, pray over it,
refine gold in it,
say goodbye or goodnight with it.
But the important thing
about a flame
is that it sparks hope.
Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers at Slice of Life for inspiring teachers to share their writing and giving space to read the work of all and share the love of the writinghood.
Today’s host for the second day of the July Open Write at http://www.ethicalela.com is Jennifer Jowett of Michigan, who inspires us to write poems of loss. You can read Jennifer’s entire prompt here.
Get Lost
I keep showing them to the exit
but they refuse to leave, to make
themselves scarce once and for all
they’re like Velcro leeches
sacked-out partiers
who won’t get lost
they stick with
me, these
pounds
Today’s host at http://www.ethicalela.com for the July 2024 Open Write, Day 1, is Denise Krebs of California. She inspires us to write septercet poems on any topic we choose. Also called a blackjack poem for the 21 syllables in each stanza, the poem features stanzas of three lines with 7 syllables on each line. You can read Denise’s full prompt here. I’ll be presenting with Denise at this year’s NCTE Convention in Boston in November, and I’m proud to call her a friend!
Goddess of No
Harold Monro held me charmed
Overheard on a Salt Marsh
Gold-leaf’d Childcraft Volume 1
Over and over again
In my closet (with flashlight)
I read those words on repeat
Utterly spellbound, transfixed
Give them me. No. Give them me.
Grew up wearing green glass beads.
The nymph to the goblin: No!
He’ll lie in the mud and howl
for beads on her silver ring
She stole them out of the moon.
He’ll howl in a deep lagoon
(like so many creeps out there).
In the best illustration
the goblin’s fingers spark truth:
it’s sexual harassment.
this primer poem for girls
who could read between the lines
Give them me. No. Give them me.
better than a fair daughter
better than the voices of winds
better than stars or water
Harold Monro held me charmed
Give them me. No. Give them me.
I am a Goddess of No.
when the others are getting
breakfast treats in the kitchen
Fitz stays with me
my little buddy
when my husband
leans in to kiss me
goodbye on his early
to work days
Fitz emerges from the
covers with warning
snaps ~ firm reminders
of who is who
when it comes to me
he goes where I go
sits where I sit
sleeps where I sleep
thinks where I think
eats where I eat
and is our only rescue
who has never bitten me
my little buddy
he snuggles me
when I read or watch tv
and catches popcorn mid-air
and gazes into my eyes
like I’m his whole world
my little buddy
my soul dog
my Fitzie
On any given morning, my family members in different group chats begin swapping random photos on a theme one of us starts. Saturday’s theme was our dogs. Dad sent a video of his schnoodle, Kona, getting her 5:30 a.m. treat from a friend at Parker’s gas station on St. Simons Island on their early morning routine walk. My brother sent not a photo of his dog, Kasa, but of the veterinary table where she was getting her shots (she’s a gorgeous Brittany, and I’d show her off every chance I got if I were him). I looked around and caught a glimpse of our aging rescue schnauzer, Fitz, sitting contemplatively in the brown velour chair that has become his window gazing chair.
This chair, one of a pair, matches nothing else in our house, so we have had it listed on Marketplace since bringing it home from one of Dad’s storage facilities to sell. But Fitz loves it so much that we may just keep the velour pair for our three schnoodle boys to call their own. I mean, next to a Velvet Elvis, what could be more of a conversation piece in a home filled with a blend of modern, farmhouse, and antique furnishings? What I noticed about the chair, though, was the variegated colors and the way the light played with the fibers and Fitz’s coloring. Immediately, I envisioned an old painter with an easel, painting a still life of a beloved family dog.
It was my picture to share in the group text.
Dad sent it to a painter friend named Carol to see if it could become an affordable masterpiece. She replied that it was compelling, and that she was glad to receive the photo – – that it will become a master watercolor.
I urged them to note the crossed front legs, showing a recent shave for a dental cleaning, the basking in sheer comfort, the deep reflective thought and philosophical consideration, the way the light plays with the wisdom of old age.
I hadn’t woken on Saturday thinking that Fitz, in a moment of silent reflection, would become the subject of a still life.
But here we are, rocking the reflective moments of life.
note the front legs crossed on the armchair
philosophical reflection
the way the light plays with age
salt and pepper mixed hues
he needs a top hat
and an old pipe
and a lap
to call
home
As the day wore on, I took a few more photos to continue the theme of the day, but the brown velour backdrop on the first pose was the best Fitz shot I was able to capture.
Common Threads 