the puppy howls for us
and the howl turns into a growl
which explodes into one more bark
and that is our alert
that there are neighbors
in
the neighbor’s yard
how dare.
puppy
January 29, 2024
the puppy’s belly whines/
screeches/
scrambles
noisily/
damn near barks
of its own accord/
warbles/
and whines/
and seems to want some sort of comfort,
but we don’t know how to give it
the comfort
it calls for/
so we just imitate/
and tell the puppy
we’re here for her
if she needs
anything
January 14, 2024
the soundtrack of our morning
includes:
skipped songs on a playlist
whenever they have words to them,
the soft stomps of a puppy
forcing me to play with her
and whatever toy she brings me,
the tippity taps of fingers on keys
from my poetry
and kip’s programming,
and the cat
somewhere
somewhere
in this building.
January 10, 2024
the wind howling all night
rain smack splat thwacking the windows —
the puppy and i, unable to rest our eyes,
for hoping the terror in the night
is just nature knocking a little too forcefully
on our door
[but fear it is something more];
staring into the darkness
hoping to see a clue being borne,
hoping to see the end of the storm —
unable, we slink to a different bedroom
a smaller, cozier, stiffer bedroom
thank goodness for a guest bed, one where i can
fall asleep
but i wish wish wish
it could be a bed
where i stay
a
sleep
all night
all night
alas, alack,
’tis not to be
[but at least sleep caught up with the puppy]
October 22, 2023
puppies filling up a weekend
eating up all our time and attention
with worry
and laughter
and entertainment
and play
and clean-up
and comfort
and analysis
and all that puppy jazz
August 5, 2023
we have
such a good dog!
oh
my
goodness!
when she does the things we ask of her —
so good!
when she doesn’t,
but wants to,
but gets a little confused —
very good!
when she is feeling a bit contrary
but clearly wants us
to be proud —
so good!
when she misbehaves
it’s usually because
we didn’t give her
enough attention
or exercise
or know exactly
what was going through her mind
at the time,
and that makes her
still
a good
good
dog!
July 17, 2023
little puppy chirps
of whining
of attention-grabbing
of trying to get comfortable
on an uncomfortable leg
and a cone-surrounded head
in a tiny cage
trying to contain
all this
big
puppy
energy
July 14, 2023
red-eyed puppy
gazing soulfully
through her cone
trying to sleep
through pain
and excitement
trying to calm
herself
through rough times
and cat visits
and trying to occupy her time
through crate-rest boredom
how long does this puppy have to stay
without an outlet
for her puppy energy?
July 10, 2023
the puppy
newly recovered from surgery
still overexerts herself in excitement
and panic
whenever the cat comes near
and i don’t know how to help her see
the cat will still be here when she is healthy
June 23, 2023
hungry
worried
early
morning
mundane and
not so mundane
worried
so worried
still hungry
~~~
calm morning
of stress
wanting
less
of the drama that comes from
this little broken puppy pup
but still
we’d rather
have her
all torn ligaments
and fractured bones
and menacing hassles
than not
~~~
it’s so strange to hear
simple
calm
piano
in the morning
i’m used to
acid jazz
and electronic house
and more chaotic sounds
to wake up to
but the calm simplicity
seems to be helping me
find more in my poetry
(and harmonizes well with a sighing puppy)
kipventures 