Zoe’s Doppelganger

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Kirk and I saw this incredibly well-behaved dog in a restaurant. She sat upright on this chair for an hour and never moved or begged for food. As far as I could see she never blinked. But, she looked exactly like Zoe would look if she were twice her present size. What do you think? When I remarked on her behavior, her human said that she had not been feeling well. She is a rescue and one of 12 dogs he and his partner have. And 54 cats!  I now feel less a martyr to my 3 dogs and two cats. The second shot is of Zoe a couple of weeks ago. The first and third  are of her doppelganger. Zoe would have been in the middle of my plate in seconds.

Eating the plants?

Family Links, for NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 29

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Sturdy Dutch stock,
Grandma Dykstra
Grandma and brother
Mother with her sisters. She’s lower left.
Dad and cousins, his mother, her sister Susie and my oldest sister, Betty Jo. This must have been taken around 1940
Dad duded up
1949
Mother
Family Christmas–Grandma, Dad and me.
Thanks, Mom, for all of those early rhyming sessions
Mom and Dad, 1970
Mom and Dad in Australia. He finally got to travel–to come visit me.
With Mom and sisters, at my wedding.

Family Links

These are the gifts I was given at birth:
my father’s high cheekbones, my auntie’s wide girth.
Legs that are solid and a brain that is sound,
a head that’s too big and a stomach too round.

From my mother, a funny bone and a fine wit
in sharing my life by writing of it.
A talent for rhyme and a need to be telling
stories original, tight and compelling.

A thirst for travel, squelched in my dad,
allowed me adventures he rarely had.
A love of babies and a wicked humor
that didn’t go wasted in this baby boomer.

I’m forever grateful that I came to be,
thanks to those genes that created me.
With both foibles and talents, I’m not perfect for sure,
but all that I am, I have come to endure.

I’ve lived to an age where I appreciate
all of the gifts that I’ve come to relate.
 Here I am, the next link in the family queue,
and what they shared with me, I now share with you.

 

Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt is “to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth.”

Misnamed

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Misnamed

I admit my name seems to lack a certain beauty.
I’ll never be an eponym. Who wants a town named Judy?

It’s clear that my name never makes it into poet talk.
No unfortunate child will be the chip off my old block.

Interlaced with second names —Agatha or Jeanette,
still that silly first name is as basic as you get.

The reception that it gets in lists is surely less than fine.
Somehow I always end up being sent to last in line.

It’s not correct to grumble over names, but all the same,
why give a perfect child such a clearly imperfect name?

 

 

Prompts today are interlace, correct, reception, eponym and chip.

NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 28 Concrete Poetry

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Set in Concrete

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Screen Shot 2016-06-21 at 9.30.59 AM

For NaPoWriMo

“F” is for Friends

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A delighted new friend
As well as Rachel, who was there from the beginning.
And Auntie Sherri
Persistent and delightful new friends.
Cousin Kirk and the crew
Tummy rubs mean instant friendship.
Two of Zoe’s best friends seem pretty fond of each other as well.
Cousin Kirk and Diego, bonded.
These things are never really planned, but shortly after Frida’s death, I found Zoë on a beach north of La Manzanilla.This was the first time I ever held Zoe.
Cousin Kirk, fore and
aft
Catherine–one of Zoe’s first aunties.
Chris, there from the first
Pepe. Zoe got the first rub, Judy’s foot massage came second.
New admirers at Veggie Heaven
Fingers
And more fingers
\

Zoe seems to attract friends wherever she goes.

For CMMC–The letter “F.”

“F” is for Frolic

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Please enlarge photos by clicking on them.

Since Zoe joined us, it has been nothing but frolic for Morrie, Diego and Zoey. She has certainly spiced up the family, especially since Cousin Kirk thought to bring out the Kong ball on a rope that I had tucked away. They love it and hassle for hours over it. They look and sound fierce but not once has anyone been hurt. It is all play. If Zoe gets too annoying, pulling Morrie’s face hair or constantly harrasing her, Diego simply puts his leg out and pins her down to quiet her down. Morrie never ever snaps at her no matter what she does. Diego disciplines her but never harms her in any way. He pins her down or rolls her over on her back. It is amazing to see how he cares for her and how patient he is. This morning  I went out and Morrie was sleeping in his bed, Zoe was sleeping in Diego’s big cushy bed and Diego was sleeping on the cold stone floor!
Zoe has three cushy beds inside, but had gone out to claim Diego’s and he let her.

For CMMC–The letter “F.”

Judy Dykstra-Brown/Jesus Lopez Vega Art Exhibition: Last Three Days of Our Show

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Our Lady of the Moon
Our Lady of Adornment
2020: Covid Diary
Messengers
Chamula Christmas
Sunrise Madonna
Feed the Birds
Lucky Day

Click on photos to enlarge.

These are a few of my retablos and sculptures still left. Come see them and many more, as well as Jesus’s paintings at Jesus Lopez Vega’s studio, M-F 10-6 through April 30, Rio Zula 1 at Ocampo, one half block below Casa Linda Restaurant.

Building Joy in the World, for NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 27 and Prompts

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Building Joy in the World

If I forgo mere toil and strife
for a more playful sort of life,

and live this playful sort of life
to the accompaniment of fife,

of fife and whistle, flute and drum,
my narrow life might expand some.

Expand from shard to full-blown bowl,
filled to its edges with more soul

’til edges of my soul have filled
the bowl from which it now has spilled.

Spilled out to change the world it touches,
wrested from my lonely clutches.

Freed from their clutch, to build a life
that has transcended mere toil and strife

Prompt words today are narrow, forgo, playful, shard and touch. This poem is also written to fulfill the NaPoWriMo2022  day 27 prompt to write a “Duplex”—a 14 line poem of seven two-line stanzas where the second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. Then the last line should be the same as the first line of the poem. Image by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash.

Royal Poinciana Bloom: FOTD Apr 27, 2022

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For Cee’s FOTD

On the Subject of Similes vs. Metaphors: NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 26

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Advice to a Poetry Critic

Each poet worth her salt adores
well-appointed metaphors,
but when they step up to the mike,
similes they only like.
Before you discuss simile
consult an expert vis a vis
the difference between the two
so you will never have to rue
mislabeling your imagery.
Hyperbole is not allusion,
so don’t add to the confusion.
Synecdoche to oxymoron––
as you choose what to write more on––
get their names right for your reader.
There’s more to poems than rhyme and meter!

This is a rerun from a few year ago, but couldn’t resist using it for NaPoWriMo.