Jack is truly lovable–but he can be exasperating…as I found out recently when my husband and I dog-sat for him overnight. My husband and I spent quite a bit of time running after Jack and playing tug of war as we struggled to take things—my sandal, an area rug from the front entryway, a bathmat, a blanket I had brought with me, and a beautiful shamrock afghan my daughter bought when she was on her honeymoon in Ireland— away from him.
In addition to shoes, bathmats, rugs, blankets, and afghans—Jack likes to chew on chicken bones ($400 veterinary bill), underpants, socks, TV remotes, cell phones, beanbag chairs, and poison ant cups. And Jack LOVES the water—the muddier the better. Can’t let that dog loose near a mud puddle or a pond or a lake or a river or the ocean! You’ll have a hard time retrieving that retriever from the water—as his owners have learned…to their chagrin.
Jack is a character who’s provided me with lots of laughs AND with poetic inspiration. Here are two poems I wrote about Jack. The first poem, Dirty Dog, is a triolet—an eight-line rhyming poem in which the first two lines are repeated as the last two lines. The first line is also repeated as the fourth line. The second poem is a mask poem in which I speak in Jack’s voice.
DIRTY DOG
Dirty, dirty, dirty dog!
Didn’t heed your master—NO!
Thought you’d run into the bog.
Dirty, dirty, dirty dog!
(I rant in my mad monologue.)
You frolicked where you shouldn’t go.
Dirty, dirty, dirty dog!
Didn’t heed your master—NO!
**********
DOG
I’m dog. I’m frisky,
Friendly, snappy.
I like to make
My master happy.
I get his paper,
Lick his face.
I follow Master
Every place.
I sit, roll over
Do cute tricks—
Beg for biscuits,
Go fetch sticks.
We take a long walk
Every day.
I never let him
Lose his way.
I always bark
To let him know
There’s someone’s at
The door. I show
Him true affection…
I don’t pretend.
Why, I’m his very
Bestest friend.
**********
I had hoped to post a video that I created with pictures of Jack and the two poems above. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to upload it to WordPress. Here’s a link to the video: Two Poems for Jack.
Jack may be a rascal—but he is also a loving big brother to Rudy, the family cat.
