Poem 11/31-Dog Days "Good For the Soul"

"Good for the Soul"

used to be
that we would go three or four miles, easy
pretty much every day
one day we ran into a neighbor on her bike
"how'd you get all the way down here?" she questioned.
"You didn't," long pause,
"walk?"

Actually, we did.
Three or four miles every night.
sometimes more on weekends.
Star needed the exercise.
She didn't care about the temperature.
I hateD the cold, but it was ok with her.
Summers, she loved frolicking in people's sprinklers.

We still walk.
Every night, after dinner, the onslaught begins.
First the pleading eyes, then the low whine,
followed by the insistent bark.
We head south, always south,
but when we get to the corner
Star has a decision to make.

Will we continue another block,
and turn right at the next corner?
They always put out yummy day old bread
in front of the Cherry Tomato.

If we head east
we can check out the candy
and doughnut wrappers-
at the middle school.
Once in a while, we even find a whole sack lunch.

Or maybe we should head west,
there are lots of nice dogs to visit
and we love to chat with
 our four-legged neighbors.

Decision made, we go.
The walks are shorter now.
Usually only a mile or so.
And I have to be more tolerant
of Star's tendency to check out detritus
because if I pull too hard on the leash
her back legs give out
and she falls and
sometimes she can't get back up.

But still we go.
Everyone knows
A walk is good for the soul.

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2019

Dog Days- #10/30- Room Service

April is National Poetry Month. This year, I've chosen "Dog Days" as my theme. Every day, for these thirty days, I will write a poem about dogs. Today's is another poem about Star, my twelve-year-old Lab/Pointer mix.


"Room Service"

for years Princess Star
lived hopefully
the crinkle of a cheese wrapper
in the kitchen would bring her running
 from three rooms away
at mealtimes her head rested on my knee,
absolutely sure there would be handouts
if she was only patient enough

but now, my gray-muzzled girl
moves slowly and painfully
ascends stairs with great difficulty
spends her days napping
on a pile of old blankets
beside my bed

i carry her food dish
down the stairs every morning
save the last bite of tuna sandwich
take my dinner plate
to  her throne
in the bedroom

my dowager
deserves room service

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2019

Dog Days- 9/30- puppy kisses

April is National Poetry Month. This year, I've chosen "Dog Days" as my theme. Every day, for these thirty days, I will write a poem about dogs. Today's poem came from my friend Val's new corgi puppy, Olive. 

"puppy love"

puppy kisses
puppy mess
puppy snuggles
puppy breath

puppy puddles
puppy play
puppy cuddles
puppy stay

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2019

Poem 8/30- Dog Days

April is National Poetry Month. This year, I've chosen "Dog Days" as my theme. Every day, for these thirty days, I will write a poem about dogs. Today's poem is based on my dog, Star. Star is a black lab/german shorthair mixed. We got her when she was six weeks old; a man at the grocery store was selling puppies out of the back of his truck, and of course, we had to have one. For years, she was super high energy and needed lots of exercise. Now, at 12, she is really slowing down. She has arthritis and despite two supplements, she has trouble getting up off of the floor, and also climbing the six stairs to go outside. Often times, she just sits at the bottom whimpering until I help her. Last night, she woke me up at 1:47. This haiku came to me as I was helping her go up the stairs. I ran to my computer and jotted it down in about five minutes, then cleaned it up just a little this morning. 

old dog climbing stairs

she pauses at the base

gazes toward summit, those six stairs

are her mount everest

(c) Carol Wilcox

There are so many terrific poetry offerings on the web this month.  One of my favorites, even though it makes me cry every day, has been Amy Ludwig Vanderwater's Poemstory, at The Poem Farm.  The poems are sequential, so you will want to start with Poem #1, but they are all 15 lines or less, so it doesn't take ver long to read them.

Dog Days 7/30- Sweet Ramsey

This isn't Ramsey- he was in the early 1990's (think pre-phone cameras), but this dog looks exactly like him. 

My April poetry focus is "Dog Days." I'm trying to write thirty poems, all centered around dogs. Today is #7, about Ramsey, a golden retriever/chow I inherited from my sister. He was the first dog I owned as an adult. 

"Sweet Ramsey"

Ok, I admit
I wasn't planning on a dog
but my sister moved to Arizona
and said I could have her almost new hot tub
if I would take you, her partner's four-year-old
Golden Retriever/Chow mix.
You hated the heat
and she thought you would be miserable in Phoenix
and so you moved into my house
and into my heart

that first week when a workman came
you escaped through the open gate
the electrician and I searched for an hour
and I was thinking maybe my time
as a dog owner had been short-lived
when we hard a bark at the back gate,
you came home and didn't leave my side

for the next eleven years
it was you and me,
me and you
you were my family,
my dinner companion,
my favorite walking partner,
my ever vigilant bodyguard
my best friend

the last sound before I went to sleep
was your gentle huff, the exhale
as you settled on the floor next to the bed
it only made sense, then
when you could no longer mount the stairs,
that I would sleep on the couch in the family
for over a year

you had not left my side
and I would not leave yours

(C) Carol Wilcox

Dog Days- 6/30

My April poetry focus is "Dog Days." I'm trying to write thirty poems, all centered around dogs. Today is #6, a golden shovel, based on a quote I found on line The ending isn't quite right, I had a lot of trouble with the last two words, because I couldn't figure out how to make the past/present thing work, and himself was just a hard word to work into the poem. I know that it's not done, but I it's Saturday have about a zillion things to do- grocery store, care wash, etc, and I need to head to Colorado Springs to pick up my mom for an evening at the theater in Denver, so this is the best I can do. 

"To Love Again"

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. 
Josh Billings

If you want a 
loyal friend, a dog 
is far superior to a cat and is 
quite probably the 
world's most faithful companion, the only 
difficult thing 
is that after a few short years on 
planet earth 
he will need to make his way across that 
rainbow bridge and all the loves 
and walks and joys you 
shared will leave a hole that is more 
gaping and deeper than 
you imagined possible and you will tell yourself he 
was the last, but soon you will long for furry loves 
and will seek another to love you for himself."

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2019

Dog Days- 5/30

April is National Poetry Month. I'm writing, I hope, a series of thirty poems about my favorite animal.  I'm calling my series "Dog Days." Tonight's poem came to me when I was walking my dog. It was nothing special, just our usual 20-30 minute jaunt around the neighborhood, but Star's tail was going like crazy the whole time. The phrase, "Tail Wag Worthy" came to me, and this poem followed when I got home. 

"Wag Worthy"

Evening walks

Serious talks,

Supper scraps

Comfy laps,

Dinner bowls,

Doggie pals

Booty rubs,

People hugs,

Wag worthy!

(C) Carol Wilcox, 2019