An Avid Fetcher’s Soliloquy

45 Replies
My house’s front door.

Click on photos to enlarge.

An Avid Fetcher’s Soliloquy

Whose house this is I so well know.
She’s swinging in the hammock, though.
I think she came to catch some zzzs,
not for a Scottie on her knees,
but still, I charm her with my eyes
and my bigger brother vies

to win attention and her pats,
but I want something else, and that’s
a tennis ball thrown just for me.
I drop it now beside her knee.
She reaches out and throws it up
and I’m a very happy pup

as I race to go retrieve it
knowing that she will receive it
once again, and then again,
for that’s the way it’s always been
ever since I can remember,
mom compliant, me so limber

that sometimes I catch that round
ball before it hits the ground.
and though her left arm’s occupied
with scratching Diego’s tough hide,
her right arm is my provenance,
and so I bark and jump and dance,

encouraging throw after throw
so I can follow where they go,
and when at night I go to sleep,
upon my dog bed, burrowing deep,
I pray the God of dogs protects
mom’s throwing arm from all defects.

For dVerse poets, the prompt is to write a soliloquy.

I wrote this one on International Dogs Day, Aug 16, 2021.
Thanks to Victoria Slotto for pointing that out to me.

45 thoughts on “An Avid Fetcher’s Soliloquy”

    1. lifelessons Post author

      Oh man, what a reception I had. Two cats waiting at the front door, two dogs barking and straining to get through the gate. Then it occurred to me that they have no way of knowing I’ll ever come back when I’m gone this long. Poor babies.

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  5. Victoria C. Slotto

    Judy, this just made my day. Perfect poem for National Dog Day, you know! I love the photos and so relate to this poem. So enjoyed that you wrote a dog soliloquy. I haven’t posted on my own blog. If time allows, I might just steal your idea.

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    2. lifelessons Post author

      Victoria, are you the one who clued me in to another National Day of celebration that I’d unknowingly written a poem about? Well, it’s happened again. Can you remember what the other day that you told me about was celebrating? Was it Cats?

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  8. Masa

    I’m not sure what more there is for me to say apart from simply saying, “Cute.”
    I did not expect a soliloquy from so adorable a character. I didn’t even realize that was an option for me – certainly it would have been the more interesting choice!

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      1. lifelessons Post author

        And the other time it was National Chop Suey day! Imagine that synchronicity. And had never written a chop suey poem today. Why did I choose to do so on its one day of the year…without knowing? Guess I should take it to the stage.

        Liked by 1 person

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    1. lifelessons Post author

      I had a houseguest for the first week after my return and he loved throwing for Morrie. He’s also the first one other than me that Morrie has jumped up on in the hammock. I find I’m able to keep up my end in the toss and return since then, however. Good think I don’t have to be the one fetching, though.

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. rothpoetry

    What a great poem for international dog day! I love it. I once had a dog that loved to chance sticks and rubber balls I threw. The dog never tired… me, that was another story!
    A dog soliloquy! A great idea Judy!
    Dwight

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
        1. lifelessons Post author

          I am exactly the same way. When people comment on a poem I have to reread it to see what I said and if I wrote it years ago it often feels like someone else wrote it and I’m reading it for the first time. I guess we are just clearing our minds out to make room for the next one.

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