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Friday, August 16, 2024

That Darn Dog poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Janice at Salt City Verse for Roundup.

I've been reading Grace Notes: Poems about Families by Naomi Shihab Nye. It's a deep dive into Naomi's relationship with her mother—rich and powerful and relatable! Here's a smattering of lines that landed in my notebook:

Silence wider / than all mistakes.

If you know someone well /enough you don't / ever have to miss them.

The space around the poem / is best.

Today a field of gossamer full moons.

The cat's tail sweeps me up.

If we spend more time with the dirt / everything will hurt less.

I told the boy / I had a bad dream. / He said, have a new one.


Today's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem features a dog! A while back I ordered a book about Florida's self-taught artists, and this week I pulled it off the shelf. The artist I've selected, Rodney Hardee, is from Lakeland, where I once lived...and in the area I will soon be traveling when I drive my mom to her 60 year high school reunion. A cat piece of Rodney's is currently on sale at Ebay. Maybe you know the dog I've written about. :)


That Darn Dog

our neighbor's dog barks
all night

what is he saying?

lake laps its usual music
garden goes on unfurling
moon makes no answer

we hear you, Dog,
I say inside my head

go to sleep now
I'll bring you doggie treats
in my dreams

for a moment
the night is still, serene

but it never lasts

our neighbor's dog barks
all night

- Irene Latham

9 comments:

  1. All night? Arg!! The doggie by Rodney Hardee goes perfectly with your poem. Hope your mom enjoys her reunion! xo

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  2. I have known that dog at various times of my life. :) And Grace Notes is going on my TBR right now. Thank you! Have a wonderful trip with your mom. ❤️

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  3. Yes, I know that dog, though when I finally sleep, he doesn't interrupt! Love the art & the 'doggie treats/in my dreams'!

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  4. I like the question you ask - what is he saying? It makes me wonder, too.

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  5. I love how there is a little love for the dog with a willingness to bring treats. Nice.

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  6. The lake, the garden, and the moon hear the dog but are not bothered...what do they know that we don't? Or maybe we need to learn to listen the way they do...

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  7. Irene, I have never had a dog but remember as a child the neighbor's dog who barked incessently along with his owner who played the bagpipes whenever he felt like it. Wow, I forgot those noises until now. "Love these lines, for a moment/the night is still, serene/but it never lasts." Enjoy your trip with your Mom.

    but it never lasts

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  8. I love that I can read your poem backwards and forwards with a slightly different spin!

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Your thoughts?