I’ve joined the multitudes who brag about their pooch’s superpowers – I’m turning into a full-on nerdđ
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Tag Archives: pets
I got your back
he’s broad chested with muscular legs
the earmarks of a pugilist
certainly channels the spirit of one
dark eyes, alert and piercing
we walk together every day
chatting about the weather
guessing what time the mail will arrive
every once in awhile
not far off
we hear a garrulous and bellowing
call of the wild
neither of us are
too wild
(I pray I still am a little)
the deep hoarse sounds are taller than
his six inch to shoulder height
he tosses me up a knowing gaze
he will do what he must to protect
the one who often places him in shadow
on the sunniest of days
gazing down at my little Dachshund
I whisper loudly enough for my words
to enter those flopping velvet ears
“I got your back, Mojo”
I got your back
Dog Kite
on windy days like today, while walking Mojo, I often imagine him flying up in the air like a little kite – silly graphic created last year
billowy tail
this morning, my friend
I thought I heard you
thumping the stairs
more excited for my arrival
than old socks
warm from the dryer
I expected to see you there
a big smile for me
and the new day
rays of sun
reaching with tender heat
my friend
I must remember not to gaze down
to the bottom step
every sunup
the thumps I hear
are not yours
but my heart
stuck in sad echo
still missing you
so I must work harder
at remembering to look up
to find your smile there
 in a billowy cloud
the one with a thumping tail
she followed me home
the version tonight
I do not like her
the woman who came home
that one
she followed me
had the nerve to walk in my shoes
into the house
in soles not made for stomping
yelling in a voice that should be singing
she’d said
the other version, the one I like
warned me awhile ago
things might get a little ugly
like a volcano
festering stuff below the tonsils
when that one gets angry
she’s not pleasant
not even to the cute little dog
no one is safe
the only thing two extra legs buys you
when she’s in that mood
is a fast walk into a little crate
I hope when she finishes firing off all her rockets
she flattens into an autumn shadow
I want the person who entertains me
yea, the one who mostly laughs
even when it gives her smile lines
Pumpkin Sweet
at the beyond
Nothing is the same
All the lights are on
yet the dark is oppressive
I imagine you’re out there
Dreaming lets me smile
I think you’re in the next room
Pretending is a talent of mine
I miss you completely
Maybe one day
we’ll be together again
at the beyond
when I grow tired of pretending
and short
of breath
Rocky
missing you greatly, my dear friend and companion
and frolicked in the autumn mist…
Well my friends,
Rocky our loving Shepherd has moved on to that big white kitchen where all are welcome. We are heartbroken, but damn if he didn’t enjoy life. So today my family and Rocky’s sidekick, Mojo the Dachshund are celebrating how he lived. And my friends he lived brightlyâthat dog lived oh, so very brightly…
Peace, love and light, my sweet canine companion
“Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanalei
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Hanalei”
rest now, my furry friend
Please forgive me for not listening
I think I made you sick after you showed up on my blue canvas. A painting I patted my shoulder for. Iâm so very sorry, my dear friend. Did I do that to you? And it is too late now. I can take nothing back. Not one thing. I should have castrated my selfish fingers. You were saying you were sick. I didnât hear the silent words. I wasnât listening. For two months, I think it was two months, I canât remember exactlyâI was buried in my meaningful life. You kept visiting my studio. You hadnât ever done that before. Well you had, but not to stay. Youâd enter, do a sideswipe visit and leave. A gentle hello then you’d return to the usual places, ones of comfort like the sofa by the piano. We called it âyour bed,â not our couch. Actually it is a love seat. The couch knew more than I. It knew how to comfort and be there accepting the additional weight of the masses growing inside you. The casual invaders I was too busy to notice.
And now, I watch your chest heaving up and down. It is your heart saying goodbye. Iâm listening now my friend. I am listening now. Please forgive me when I must say my final goodbye to you and mean it from the depth of my selfish soul.
Autumn Leaves
in the matter of a pet
in the matter of a pet
in the matter of a human heart
how a homespun beast does travel
to the very core of our nature
to the very depth of our soul
yes, yes they ask
with earnest eyes
for food, shelter, warmth
and yes,
they crave affection,
ours
in their need and desire for love
these homespun beasts
invoking the simple language
of patient creatures
teach us
remind us
and often shame us
into the realization
of our responsibilities
as caretakers for one another
it is we
who need them
blue boys
our blue boys, recently published, painted in acrylic a few weeks ago
blue boys sans fanfare
our blue boys
the mantle has been empty far too long
I’ve been meaning to create another portrait
what else is an empty fireplace wall for?
it seems an eternity has passed
since working with a linen base and liquid pigment
pencil and paper are sometimes sorry replacements
on August 3, I set out my paints
and selected a canvas
large enough for a big dog
yet, not overwhelming
for a little one
our last Shepherd, Chama was a regal type
her stoic beauty typified her grace
I did my best to present these qualities
when I painted her formal portrait in 2002
our current dogs
hmm
Rocky the Shepherd
Mojo the Dachshund
what is it about this dynamic duo
that makes my family laugh often
they are quite goofy
yet, they can be fearless too
as small dogs usually go-
Mojo’s 13 pounds sees 90 in our Pella glass door
and
while a Shepherd cuts an intimidating figure
most times
Rocky acts quite silly
when conceptualizing a portrait
there is but one goalâ
doing justice to
the subject(s)
outlook(s) on life
natural as the air they breath
in the case of Rocky and Mojo
I’d say joy
and since purple was not quite right
I chose the colors of a
blissful sky, a wistful ocean,
an icy fruit-sickle on a steamy day
our blue boys…
Blue Boys, acrylic – 3′ x 2 1/2′
finished a few days ago, in between doing loads of laundry – ah, if only they could help with the chores, now that would be something đ
Chama (Chama the Shepherd looking at her portrait), oils – 2′ x 1 1/2′
painted in 2002Â (sorry for poor photo quality)
