I am but a home poet.
Prompts dog me,
thrown out as commands with treats.
Sit. Roll over. Shake.
Go fetch.
Bring it to Mr. Linky.
Drop it. Drop it.
Heel. Heel. Find the rhythm,
don’t jerk the leash.
Words come to mind with expectations,
arrange them in a meaningful way.
Pen pants, drools,
runs left to right,
left to right . . .
. . . circles round and round,
this way, that way.
Veterinarians call it the zoomies.
Poets call it frustration.
Suddenly it’s done.
And me?
I’m doggone exhausted.
APOLOGIES to those of you who read this post earlier, when for some reason, WordPress deleted all the line formatting and it came across as prose.
Written for dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Dora asks us to use an animal of our choice (real or imaginary) as a metaphor for how ideas and words take shape for us on the blank page. I had a bit of fun with this one, after having recently spent four days with my daughter’s family, including their almost two year old rambunctious dog! Image created on Bing Create.
lillian the home poet 
I think I pretty much read it the same way both times. Your words immediately took on the temperament of a dog.😆 Perhaps my dog. So, I read it as I imagine she would act it out. Woof!🐶
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Thanks, Melissa. Cannot for the life of me figure out how WordPress stripped all the formatting. I did change it a bit this time. Glad you enjoyed. I just had fun with the prompt.
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I felt like this when seeing the prompt and wondering will I have time to sit and write for it! I love the pace and brevity, mixed with excitement.
I could not get to your post from Mr. Linky, that one leads to a non-existent page, so perhaps you wanted to know in case it can be amended.
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Yes….the first Mr. Linky post was deleted….it was originally #1 and I asked Dora to delete it. Somehow, WordPress stripped all the formatting from the poem so I had to rewrite it and repost it. The Mr. Linky post now works. Thanks for the comment and warning though – glad you found it.
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I love your poem, Lillian. Such a great comparison!
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Glad you had fun writing this post (but not with WP formatting). Home poet, enjoyed this one.
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The second time round is even more enjoyable, Lill — the “home poet”– whose “zoomies” of frustration with prompts brings smiles and only enhances our appreciation of her skills as “Pen pants, drools,/runs left to right,/left to right . . ..”
What a fun poem — formatted or not, I loved it.
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Ha! Love this one.
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I loved it the first time around, Lill, and I’m loving it again!
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Lillian, the use of canine commands as prompts and the vivid imagery of the pen panting and running in circles capture the essence of the creative process with humor and relatability. Well done!
~David
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I really love the intensity part of being dog… so well captured in how we struggle with the prompts.
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it sure can be compelling and exhausting too
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So wonderfully clever Lillian … and funny to boot. I give this a huge ARF.
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Oh I get this, Lilian, being somewhat of a slave sometimes to my Inner Critic, what my 82yearold friend calls her “Top Dog” voice… Do this do that please all the people all the time please yourself speed up slw down… and breathe!
I laughed to see you had categried this under ‘Humour’, because I read it as earnest and serious first of all – then as WIll the Bard Shakespeare says:”Many a true word’s spoke in jest”…
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A great and fun perspective here Lil. This was fun to read my friend and I understand exactly what you’re saying.v🙂✌🏼🫶🏼
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Lill, love your delightful write!
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Wonderful pen images, Lillian. Love this!
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Lillian I appreciate your fun and real approach. Extra kibble for you ❤
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