Midweek Reflection on Writing Poetry and Barking Dogs

It's National Poetry Month, so far I have managed to write at least one poem a day. I have not read the poetry books I planned and I do not think I will get them read this month; all though I could be wrong about that. Since this is the first full week of April I am not sure what the rest of the month will hold.

Poetry writing
the neighbor's dog is barking
interrupts contemplation

I suppose I should complain, but I am not sure what good it would do. The dog does not bark all the time. This morning I think someone was knocking at their door, which cause the dog to bark. I hope the dog woke the family up, as it did with everyone in the neighborhood except me. I woke up early today, took all my morning meds, brewed a carafe of hot coffee, and started to review or write. My day got off to a good start before the dog started barking.

Volkswagen Gesture Control: A Doggie Tale

In this video "Jumpy the Dog" shows off his best tricks by reacting the the gestures of strangers. Watch this video, presented by Volkswagen Gesture Control, starring "Jumpy the Dog" and see how he responds to the simple gestures of strangers. Click on the video and watch Jumpy.

Thursday Morning in Las Vegas: A Poem

I looked out my window,
I saw two pigeons
sitting on the sidewalk
waiting...

waiting for what
the temperature to rise
into the triple digits.

I heard
a dog bark;
what was she barking at?

Was she barking at the pigeons
or asking to go in
out of the excessive heat?

A Bright beginning to a new week

It is Sunday, March 10, 2013, the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and the neighbor's dog is barking. It is a good beginning to a new week. I have not checked the weather today, so I am not sure what the meteorologist forecast for today. I suppose I should go to weather.com  and check on the seven day forecast, I need to determine if I will need a sweater or a coat.

wind in the olive
temperatures are heating up
maybe a sweater

This afternoon my neighborhood is quiet because the neighbor's dog has stopped barking. The little fellow barked all morning, which is unusual because he does not bark unless he has something to bark at.  Perhaps he just wanted his people to know he was lonely in the yard especially since the neighbor's cats were not out. If one of the neighbor's cats sits on the fence he will bark at it, but I that cat did not visit today. Perhaps he missed the cat and that was the reason he barked.

Muse Monday: Early Morning noise

On Monday my muse

Wants to write poems to my

Neighbor’s barking dog

I get up between 3:00 and 4:00 AM (when my alarm goes off). About first light this morning, a neighbor’s dog was barking. This is unusual because they do not leave the dog out at night. That dog usually goes outside later in the morning, however, today he or she was barking at something.

I set on my bed listening to the dag. It was not an angry bark, so I do not think the dog saw any strangers in the neighborhood or its yard. A cat may have startled it or another dog. It did not bark very long, when it stopped I got up. Sometimes I enjoy just sitting on the side of my bed and listening to the noises in the neighborhood.

One of the neighbors’ has a Harley, I love listening to that bike as he rides to work in the morning. I think the sound of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is beautiful. I enjoy just sitting and listening to it and the other neighborhood noises, especially this time of year.

If I listen carefully, I hear baby birds chirping in their nest. I hear adult birds singing, marking their territory with song. There are all sorts of wonderful sounds early in the morning, if a person just stops to listen.

Dog Joke - An overheard conversation

On way for a writer to get ideas, is to listen to conversation in public places. You can hear some very interesting things, such as jokes that are new to you.

Question: Why do dogs avoid the sun?

Response: I don’t know, why?

Answer: Because it makes them hot dogs.

The Saturday Morning Silence is Broken

The barking of a dog breaks the Saturday morning silence. I set the aluminum trashcan down and put the trash bag I am carrying in my left hand on top. I glance right and left but don't see any dog. I turn back on the street, pick up the morning paper and start toward the house.

The dog comes up behind me, barking all the time. He sounds vicious, so I continue to the house rather then taking another trashcan to the curb. I left the front door unlocked when I went out to get the trash. I open the door and go into the house. Only then do I look back to and see the dog standing in my driveway barking at me.

The dog large and completely black, he isn't a huge dog, but his barking sound vicious so I remain in the house. I'm not going to risk a dog bite by taking another can of trash to the curb. I stay in the house about five or ten minutes, then I go back out and get another trashcan to carry to the curb.

I don't see or hear the dog this time. He has disappeared as quickly as he appeared. The logical explanation, of course, is that the neighbor who owns him took him back in the house. Logical explanations are fine, except when it comes to using experiences similar to this in a short story or a poem. Logical explanations don't make good plots. I am going to use this experience in a short story or piece of flash fiction, but I don't think I'll use the logical explanation for the dog's disappearance.