my dear Teddy
if i may be so bold
your long, soft fur,
looks like liquid gold
bathed in the sunlight,
he sighs. “it’s time to retire”
his eyes drift to a close
as he embraces the fire
I can’t help but write poems about these buds. They’re so cute. 🥰 Dogs are the best. Dog poems, too.
-AJM
nap time
doesn’t matter what time of day
snuggle in
and before you know it
dog elbow in your thigh
snoring at your left
brown and golden fur
within arm’s reach
you didn’t even have to say anything
they just knew
mom’s resting
snuggle in
although you have less room than you did
something heavy, half on and half off
you can’t really move
but you feel it
one hundred and sixty pounds of dog pile
trying to heal your broken pieces
they don’t say a word
you feel it in your bones
in your soul
in the dark, cold parts
that even therapy can’t seem to reach
one snore
one yawn
doggy breath in the face
the assignment stands:
snuggle in
mom needs us
Not much to say…life has been life-ing a lot lately. It was a day of resting today. (I’m preparing this on a Sunday.) Naps. Quiet time, too much doom scrolling, probably. Watched a Pacific Rim movie. Need to do adult things. Don’t wanna. Sometimes vegging is just easier.
Hope you have a good week.
–AJM
one night
a star catches his eye
it looks like one of those tiny flashing things
that are loud and fly over the house
and must be caught and destroyed
he barks and shakes his brown head, ball hanging on for dear life
you get that plane, Koda bear
the humans laugh
it’s the dog star, babe
he’s barking at the dog star
maybe he makes a wish:
oh, your great wolfyness
(bark, growl)
make it so
every night is ball night
with four meals a day
instead of just two
and make the bunnies easy to chase
and the neighbors love on us everytime we see them
and make it so every day is a snow day
but also with mud
and water to splash in
and the bed is never off limits ever
and the humans never have to leave us
and the humans think:
don’t leave me
let them run under your skies forever
Koda bear likes nothing more
than stretching out across the kitchen floor
and there he lies like time forgot
a chocolate lab
in the most inconvenient spot
I’ve been posting a lot of dog poems lately, and while I should finish up my lastest poetry project, I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a poetry book with dog poems and some short essays. Maybe featuring this chocolate chunk.
Anywho, dogs are adorable and if you’re someone who thinks they are messy and loud and smelly – well, they totally are, but you can’t beat the love from a dog. They love us when we don’t deserve it sometimes. Hope you have a fantastic week.
AJM
get a bag
place bag on floor
tail wagging
his head will disappear into the bottom of the bag
you know
in case there are food items
and things to lick
mlem
lab caught!
To be read as if narrated by David Attenborough
two large
pound cakes
a chocolate
and a butterscotch
wait for more
cakes of their own
disappointed
and convinced that
the next five minutes
are essential to their rate of survival
the cakes keel over
and in a weakened state
they slip into oblivious sleep
and start to snore
So…have you ever started a project, and then you lose steam just when you think you’re sailing smoothly along? Yeaah, so that happened. I am still working on this project, but it will not be published at the end of this year.
Unfortunately, work and health and life have gotten in the way, but to be honest, though, I do feel somewhat excited to have a project to focus on in the winter months…if we all happen to survive by then, of course.
To reiterate…
This is a collection of new material from the last few years exploring the ‘what’s been left behind’ from my college years, who I am now, and the joys and struggles of being an adult. There are themes of feminism, mental health, self-doubt… and some silly poems about the weather, of course.
Look for it soon…publish date, TBD. I might also post less poetry content as I get my ideas together, but that’s a maybe. I feel like there is still a lot to say.
In case you missed it, my other poetry book, Walking in Cemeteries, can be found on Amazon here.
the wind sighs through the window
a gust of promises
smelling like a friend
our chocolate lab lifts his graying muzzle to it
soft ears blown back
he breathes deep
there’s no telling
what secrets
the wind whispers to him
maybe it says, come and play
our golden retriever crouches low
the sunlight catches his fur like liquid gold
he wiggles his butt again and then
they’re off!
I bought a poetry book
about dogs
and all it did
was remind me
how short their lives are
we’ll have several dogs
in our lifetimes
they’ll have several years
if we’re lucky
and it reminded me
we don’t have dogs
do we
they have you
A. J. Morse 