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