Sunday, October 13, 2013

Cave Canem

The process of choosing
was all about size, the boxy head.

His father was a champion;
perfect black standard nose.

Perhaps he was over kennel-clubbed,
bred to a neurotic frenzy.

I didn't realize personality would be
such a compatibility issue.

You make no bones about loathing;
yell at him, as if he couldn't hear.

Every time I clean up a mess,
you encourage a tabby.



tk/October 2013 


R.A.D. Stainforth enjoys a mellow glass of Sunday wine...



Join Magpie Tales creative writing group. 

22 comments:

  1. love it.....and the dog!!! x

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  2. Wow that's an interesting take and so beautifully crafted!

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  3. The way you took this on, Tess, reminded me of a father who is exemplary in every postion in society he holds. The son is a well-dressed bum, even looks good in prison stripes. (Maybe he was pampered by his father AND society. I enjoyed making a story around this, almost as much as I enjoyed reading your own (i suppose) experience with the animal. THANK you for the pic-prompt. I like them all!

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  4. "Over kennel-clubbed." Sharp!

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  5. Did you know that the Canary Islands were named so because of the indigenous dogs?

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  6. oh hah that's why I have a cat! Clever one!

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  7. I like the way you turned that verse. Bravo!

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  8. Love those soft blue eyes. I was inspired this week.

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  9. wrote a picture story well worthy of reading.. i so enjoy the process of words coming together in such a way to portray with few words a world away so clear and powerful....

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  10. encourage a tabby....hmmmm....so cats will come when there's no dog s**t around??? interesting hypothesis. who will test it? thanks for your welcoming comment.

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  11. Love the ending! Thanks for the pic!

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  12. A dog of this magnificence must surely evoke some equally splendid cat !

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  13. Great ending! (tabbies must always be encouraged) Wonderful fun to read. Thank you.

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  14. Lovely closing line. Very good.

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  15. A dog is nice but a tabby can be a lot nicer. Ah well it's one of those things! Nicely Tess!

    Hank

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  16. Love your take on this one, although IMHO a dog always beats a cat!

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  17. Oh, I've had dogs, cats, horses ... chickens and a goat growing up. Yes, sometimes an aloof Tabby is the easier route. I wonder, what types of dogs have you had? Enjoyable as always, love the reading, and KILLER last line.

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  18. As Chairman of the Tri-State Poetry Council(sounds good...I made it up)...I hereby name you Poet Laureate Of Dublin.

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  19. Over kennel-clubbed and bred to a neurotic frenzy...great, great line.

    This was probably intentional, but I kept thinking of fathers and sons and the mess that the over-privileged and under-disciplined get into, and then mom has to come along and clean up the mess, i.e bail him out of prison or whatever. I know it doesn't fit perfectly, but having a family member like that close-by relatively speaking, it's where my brain went...
    Tina @ Life is Good

    P.S I've missed magpie. Glad you and it are still around. Mine will go up Monday if all goes well.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)