Apr 24, 2016 Free Verse, NaPoWriMo, Original Poetry

Lucubrations of a Doggy Sort
©April 24th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram

I inveigle my canine companion
Into perambulating with me
Down the street
To do her doggy business.

Her Linty Goofiness
Sidesteps my urgent
Persuasions and entreaties
Staunchly, steadfastly refusing
To step onto the patch of grass

Oh no, not she!
What catches her fancy
Is a squirrel, bushy-tailed,
Impertinent, inquisitive,
Flashing its tail at her,
Semaphoring inter-species
Flirtation – or, could it be
That the squirrel wishes to 
Incite my dog’s not-too-hidden
Need for committing mayhem?

My dog, thus instigated
Tears around at the end
Of quivering leash,
Barking her head off,
While my inner self
Doubles over in helpless
Cachinnation, and my outer one
Vociferates fiercely
With loud and indignant calls.

The squirrel leaves,
Peace returns,
The dog meditates on
The grassy patch of a
Toronto sidewalk,
Leaves her scent
For another to comment on,
And trots serenely on,
With me in tow.

These and more shallow
Thoughts occupy
My sieve-like mind,
As I lucubrate
Over this pathetic
Efflux, and labour over
Ephemeral pursuits,
Like Poetry.

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In response to the NaPoWriMo prompt for Day 24:

And last but not least, our prompt (optional, as always). Today I challenge you to write a “mix-and-match” poem in which you mingle fancy vocabulary with distinctly un-fancy words. First, spend five minutes writing a list of overly poetic words – words that you think just sound too high-flown to really be used by anyone in everyday speech. Examples might be vesper, heliotrope, or excelsior. Now spend five minutes writing words that you might use or hear every day, but which seem too boring or quotidian to be in a poem. Examples might be garbage disposal, doggy bag, bathroom. Now mix and match examples from both of your lists into a single poem. Hopefully you’ll end up with a poem that makes the everyday seem poetic, and which keeps your poetic language grounded. Happy writing!

Tags: #DoggyBusiness, #Mix-and-Match-Poem, #OriginalPoetrybyVijayaSundaram