The first person to respond to my request for pet-related comments was Vicki Lane. Her poem for her dogs, who at the time this was written stayed in the basement, made my hair stand on end! "Electric with excitement"....oh yes, I know that dance. Two of our dogs did the electric dance this morning and woke me up! No full moon outside, though. Just morning beckoning with car sounds and neighbor dogs barking.
And doesn't the full moon make US want to dance with excitement? Vicki captures that "ancient longing" beautifully. Go to my sidebar to find the link to her wonderful blog, www.vickilanemysteries.blogspot.com.
For her memorable response, Vicki will receive a copy of my chapbook WAKE.
In the basement, dogs are restless -
Soft whining, imploring,
Door scratching, demanding,
Surfacing from sleep and warm blankets, I rise,
Push my feet into slippers and stiffly descend steep stairs.
The dogs dance, electric with excitement
As I fumble with the door.
Outside the setting moon illumines fields, woods, hills ...
Bright as night.
My heart swells; unseen fur rises and with it an ancient longing...
To run ... to hunt beneath the moon ...
Paws wet in the dew-crisp grass ...
To see forever...
Tomorrow my good friend Lisa Parker will be up, with a poem she feared was too much of a downer to post as a comment. It's about what Vicki, and several others of us who have beloved animals, have written about already--losing a pet we love. Fabulous poem. Drop back by to read it.
