DOG EXPLORER ~ rough draft
by April Halprin Wayland
Sniff, o, sniff—what glorious fumes
coats the world beyond these rooms?
You with your pens and their feathery plumes—
sit ’round the table in your conference rooms
but I have a calling beyond these doors
to the tang and the stink at the wild waves’ shores
while you’re puzzling over lines of ink,
I’ll be rolling in things that stink!
I’ll catch the tang of a porcupine’s trail,
decoding flavors that tell a tale.
You find words, I’ll follow vapors
I’ll bound through meadows, you plough your papers.
As your new poem begins to speak
I’ll uncover buried treasures that reek!
================================
Bruce comments: “Really liked this one. Excellent. Wonderful rhythm. We like the last line. ADR [his wife] points out that you use ‘tang’ twice which is somewhat distracting.”
Me: In fact, I see that I’ve used both “tang” and “stink” twice. I’ll fix those in the next draft. And I don’t think the last line scans well yet.
Explorer Eli has found something new…
Today is Poetry Friday–oh, joy! Thank you, Irene, for hosting!
9 Responses
April, I love this! You’ll find words, I’ll follow vapors… Eli knows how to have fun. xo
Hi April,
I love that calling of “the tang and the stink.” You’ve captured this pooch’s world! (And you get to enjoy him after he’s “rolling in things that stink.”)
Love your poem! I’ve often thought that I’d like to be able to use one of those black lights like they use on shows like NCIS to find traces of blood on the street when I walk my dog so I could “read” what she’s sniffing at. Pets provide no end of inspiration!
Love your poem, April! It is great to be out there gathering poems rather than staring at a blank screen/page.
Hi, Irene, Buffy, and Catherine! Thanks for coming by and jumping over all the barriers to make a comment! xxx
I have two dogs and, while no ocean or lake nearby, there is a river…so…I definitely got the “drift” from these lines:
but I have a calling beyond these doors
to the tang and the stink at the wild waves’ shores
What a fun project! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your drafts and back-story!
How well we know the nose in our house with our snuffin’, snorfin’ Newf. Fun poems here, thanks!
Thanks for your comments, Steve, Mary Lee and Martha!