The challenge this month was to write an epistolary poem in the form of a love letter or Valentine. I missed our Zoom on Sunday, so I have no idea what approach my poetry peeps are taking. I hadn't given the topic of this one much thought until I sat down to write and decided to address some very sad news I received this week.
This is my buddy Cooper. We rescued him about 6 weeks after our first rescue, Sydney, was put to sleep following a short and nasty battle with cancer. In just a few days we'll celebrate Cooper's 10th "Gotcha" Day.
This is Cooper on February 26, 2014, his first day in his forever home.
This is Cooper enjoying a Pup Cup after a visit to the vet on Tuesday.
Here's my poem.
Love Letter to My Dying Dog
Dearest Cooper,
It's sad really
how often you're called by something
other than your given name
Stinky Breath
Honey Bunny
Butt Licker
Goodyear
Asshat
I hope you can forgive your father
that last one
Your penchant for eating couch cushions
and stealing his sandwiches
has made him perpetually grumpy
I adore you, you know
there was never any question of it
You wormed your way into my heart
the first time I laid eyes on you
You were a scrawny thing
a counter surfer from day one
as life on the streets taught you to
grab any food you could find
to survive
Survive you did
but more than that
you thrived
giving and receiving more love
than we ever imagined
Your deafness was a hurdle
we learned to negotiate
but sometimes I think
you were happy
to tune out the world
live in the silence of your head
you were never bothered by
thunder or fireworks
like your predecessor was
You reluctantly tolerated the old girl
we rescued during COVID
showing first your anger and disdain
(you didn't sleep with me for weeks!)
until you adopted an air of
casual indifference
It was clear, however
that you missed her
once she was gone
Do you know that
I'm marking time now?
That extra treats and kisses
signal the beginning
of the end?
That your days have been numbered
by cancer's ugly return?
My heart longs for more
More walks
More hugs
More time
But I also pray for less
Less pain
Less heartache
Less loss
I know there will be tears
and sadness
I will embrace them
while I see you through this
long goodbye
I will be by your side
to the very end
You'll never have to wonder
how I feel about you
my beautiful, sweet boy
Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.
You can find the poems shared by my Poetry Sisters at the links below.
Would you like to try the next challenge? In March, we’re writing in the form of the pantoum. The pantoum is a Malaysian verse form comprised of a series of quatrains, with the second and fourth lines of each quatrain repeated as the first and third lines of the next. You can learn more about this form at The Philadelphia Writer's Workshop and Masterclass. Are you in? Good! You have a month to craft your creation and share it on March 29th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals. We look forward to reading your poems!
Please take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference. Happy poetry Friday, friends!
