Mag 270 — imprint

Today, five months after your death,
two young deer surprised me in the
yard at dawn. One trotted rhythmically
across the lawn, but the other stood
stoically feet away and we regarded
one another with quiet understanding.

The day held sunshine that filtered
through the slats and rays streaked
your bed. I lie briefly there each
night, my head quieted, my bones
sinking into spots where you slept.
Truth is, I still weep for you there.

At dusk clouds bloated with moisture
chugged across the sky, competing
with the sun. Eventually, as was pre-
dicted, they won. But the glorious
contest colored a modest rainbow,
while birds worked on symphonies.

Tonight gentle rain misted the yard
you loved well. It puddled in huge
rocks where it fell, those turquoise
ones we had hauled here that are
beloved by butterflies in summer.
I think they leave their prints behind.

Written for The Mag: Mag 270 that inspired with the above image prompt: artwork 

by Ulrike Bolenz.

Meeting the Bar — For my dog, Bonbon

Jupiter and moons from telescope, via astronomyonline.org

Jupiter
Is our meeting place
Since you died my light went out
Out I go each night and I see you
Prancing there

Written for Meeting The Bar—The Cinquain .. .Expanded, at dVerse Poets Pub, hosted this week by Tony Maude. Tony has revitalized the traditional five-line Cinquain poetry form (follow link to refresh your memory) by working "with the cinquain, breaking it by adding an extra syllable to each line, giving a five-line poem with lines of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 3 syllables in that order." Very cool, Tony!

.

Poetics — Dear Bonbon,

You never learned to read but
you are old now and one day
in some foggy otherworld you
may have a knowing that this
is for you.

Puppy, I taught you to count to five
and have since counted my blessings
that the quick commands included my
fingers in scrambled succession -- one,
four, five, three, two --
as well as my voice, as well as
our happy eyes admiring one
another in this learning game
as the years grew to two digits.

Now, while your ears no longer hear
the commands, your eyes -- though hazy --
still can detect what my fingers tell you,
and your voice strongly barks the
correct numbers. I am
proud of you.

Sometimes, while you are sleeping --
harder now than ever before --
my love is so great that I reach to
pet you, often alarming you,
occasionally hardly able to rouse you,
and you gaze unfocused from your bed,
trying to return from another place.

Sometimes, when your head is turned
a certain way and I raise my voice to
just the right pitch and loudness you
react -- not assuredly as in times past --
but dreamily, like you know love just
came around the corner, and you
smile wistfully from across
the room, but you do not
come to me.


Written for dVerse Poets Pub Poetics, where host Mary asks us to write a poem in the form of a letter.
.

Poetics: A French Twist for Quatorz Juillet • Bonbon

Bonbon

Bonjour! we whispered at airport Customs to
our tiny puppy flown from Montréal. She tucked her moist
nose into paper in the purple crate, missing her mother. The
bonding between us would happen late that night, when
outside, under a starry sky she squatted in the grass,
never taking her chocolate eyes off me as my heart melted. 

Written for Poetics — A French Twist For Quatorz Juillet — at dVerse Poets. 

In her stirring prompt, Karin Gustafson wrote: "Celebrate Quatorze Juillet/Bastille Day/Things French with us by writing whatever French twisted (or sort of French, sort of twisted) poem you desire, whether your fancy takes to you poodles, Paris, or red wine on the couch."  I wondered if I could pay tribute to my beautiful 11-year-old Standard Poodle, Bonbon, utilizing the Acrostic poetic form that I used in my post prior to this one. Thus evolved Bonbon's name poem.


.

.

I am behind visiting your blog because.....

Valentine's Day was a very good one at our house this year. It was our 18th one together, which seems amazing to me because I never thought I would be with anyone this long. It is not easy, but what blazing adventure ever is easy? I don't have the art of relationship or marriage figured out at all. But I do know this. It is important to pause and pay attention to the soul living with you, to recognize how your partner is changing, to listen, and to laugh together. This week while my husband has some vacation time we are attending to the closeness between us, a shared space of the heart.

.

Pet Thankfulness and a way to help pets in need

My dogs, Abby and Bonbon, are thankful for each other and for their happy, loving home with us and their cats.

The following is republished from PR Newswire:

What is Your Pet Thankful for This Thanksgiving?

Share Your Pet's Tale of Thanks, "Like" the Petcentric Facebook Page, And Purina Will Donate $1, Up to $50,000, to Adopt-a-Pet.com

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At Thanksgiving Day feasts across the country, families pause to reflect on the many things they are thankful for, and for millions of people that includes their pets.  This year, Nestle Purina PetCare® is looking at this holiday tradition in a different way – from the pet's point of view.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111121/LA10626LOGO)

Beginning on Thanksgiving Day, pet lovers are invited to visit the Petcentric by Purina Facebook page and share what their pet is thankful for.  Stories of gratitude will be accepted until Nov. 27, and for each "like" of the Petcentric Facebook page Purina will give thanks to pet rescue shelters by donating $1, up to $50,000, to Adopt-a-Pet.com.  Adopt-a-Pet.com is the largest non-profit homeless pet adoption website in North America*.

"Pet lovers show their appreciation for their pets every day, and on this special day of thanks we'd like to know what they think their pets are thankful for," said Danielle Behan, senior brand manager, Purina brand.  "This is a fun way to engage pet lovers and to support a great organization, Adopt-a-Pet.com, in its mission of finding forever homes for pets."

The program will be highlighted during the National Dog Show Presented by Purina®, which is scheduled to air at noon (local time in all time zones) on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, on NBC, following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Actor and National Dog Show co-host John O'Hurley will appear in a video during the telecast that features his four-legged friend Tater Tot and explores what the pup is thankful for at Thanksgiving.   

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the National Dog Show Presented by Purina.  NBC launched the two-hour special in 2002 and it became an immediate hit with viewers, more than quadrupling TV ratings for that time slot from previous years.  Nearly 20 million people tune into the show each year, making it a genuine family holiday tradition and America's most widely viewed dog show**.  Some 2,000 of the nation's top dogs encompassing more than 160 breeds will compete for "Best in Show" this year.

The Petcentric Facebook page, located at www.facebook.com/petcentricbypurina, is an online community where pet lovers get together every day to share their love for their dogs and cats.

Adopt-a-Pet.com has more than 1.7 million unique site visitors each month and assists more than 11,000 animal shelters and humane societies find homes for their pets*.


About Nestle Purina PetCare Company

The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Mo., where it was founded as Ralston Purina Company more than a century ago.  Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets.  One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of the Swiss-based Nestle S.A., the world's largest food company.  Visit www.purina.com.

*Source: Adopt-a-Pet.com

**Source: NBC

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare Company

.

The Crystal Butterfly Lovers

Jack Frost
                -by Helen Bayley Davis

Someone painted pictures on my
     Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
     And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
     But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
     They vanished one by one.

* * *

I took this video of Abby and Bonbon (both ten-years-old) in our back yard on Thursday--our one day of falling snow this winter. It did not last long, but it was enchanting. The three giant Sequoias seemed pleased to welcome "crystal butterflies" where, in a few months, other butterflies of various colors and sizes will settle onto the boughs for sheltered naps on hot days.



Music (my latest favorite classical CD):  "Lagrimoso" movement from The Butterfly Lovers - Concerto for Violin, by Gang Chen and Zhanhao He. Gil Shahan-violin, Lan Shui-conductor, Singapore Symphony Orchestra


.