.JPG) |
| { the melody } |
Aren’t you sick of
the games? I forget what you people call ‘em:
Was it “pride,”
or “revenge”? No wonder your men are so solemn.
(Come try me on)
To be honest, I
don’t calculate:
When you're sinking in,
I’ll dig the weight
Up off of you until
you're free.
I’d dig a mile:
come play with me.
I’m a dog! I’m a
dog!
I’m a dog! Call my
name, prick my ears. I’ll be here when you holler.
I’m content in my
skin, but I’d be glad to win your collar …
(Come take me home)
Through the air!
Past this talk. I’m my best when I walk – you know it.
When you tell me you
love me, I won’t speak at all: I’ll show it.
I’m boundless; I’m
a heart on springs –
Just thankful for
the simple things:
I’ll warm your
hands up in my hair,
I’ll kiss you like
no man would dare.
I’m a dog! I’m a
dog!
I’ve got claws,
I’ve got teeth – but for you, I’m peach. Come grab me.
We could run, take a
nap. I could die in this lap: I’m happy.
We’ll be tired,
we’ll be wet, we’ll be grassy, glass-eyed pets together.
We’ll be panting
and warm, and we’ll cuddle in this storm forever.
I’ve trembled on
the kennel floor
And I know what I am
hungry for:
Your fingers on my
chin – my day.
Just say the word:
I’ll come. I’ll stay.
I’m a dog! I’m a
dog!
Wrote this over a year ago, but it fits here, and I can play it now. So here's to the dogs. Am I one yet?
ReplyDeletea song – shelter spur, 25 March 2012
* Thanks to Fillmore, Sheba, Blake, Sadie, Steele, Miley, Mabel, laughy the staffie, Lobo & Jessie for making this collage full.
… oh yeah, and Reggie, Mary-Ann, & Marian.
Choosing a random form is the perfect choice when personifying a dog as the narrator of the poem. Some stanzas are two lines while others are five lines. There is no consistent pattern, but this is the same kind of pattern seen in dogs. Their behaviors and actions are unpredictable. They can be focused, eager, or completely lose control. They are all over the place but they are always ready for companionship.
ReplyDeleteThere is no attempt to disguise the metaphor. Three times in the poem, the narrator specifically states, “I’m a dog! I’m a dog!” I don’t see this obviousness as a distraction in the poem because the choice of a dog is a very unique perspective on companionship. To be sure, almost every aspect of friendship is touched upon. A friend should be willing to help and our canine narrator exclaims, “When you're sinking in, I’ll dig the weight/Up off of you until you're free.” Honesty is also important in actions and the narrator/dog is saying that no “games” will be played. What you see is what you get. There is no false façade. Honesty demands a lack of pretentiousness and the “dog” clearly states: “I’m boundless; I’m a heart on springs –Just thankful for the simple things.” Of course loyalty is expected of a companion and the “dog” emphasizes “Just say the word: I’ll come. I’ll stay.” Real friends will stand by you in every situation. And most of all, true friends will love you no matter what and will do anything for you. The “dog” says, “When you tell me you love me, I won’t speak at all: I’ll show it….I’ll warm your hands up in my hair, I’ll kiss you like no man would dare.” Given these characteristics, it is no surprise that dogs are the most popular pet and an excellent choice to reflect on true companionship.
Dogs are excellent pets -- and not at all random (neither is the song's structure, by the way: verse-chorus - verse-verse-chorus - verse-verse-chorus ... click the link and you'll hear the pattern in the music). Just gotta learn to speak their language, is all.
DeleteI must admit that the collage caught my attention, not only because of the dogs but they seem to be pits or some sort of boxer mix, like my little girl. I also notice that all two-legged companions are wearing blue, which I know to be the color for subconscious thought; therefore, representing people's excessive need to think; however, dogs are so fantastically loyal and loving because they lack these thoughts as we see in many instances in the poem, particularly when the speaker, presumably a dog, says that he and his two-legged friend "We'll be tired, we'll be wet, we'll be grassy, glassed-eyed pet together." This line also explains the dog heads on the people; it’s how dogs view us, as one of them, part of the pack. This relentless, thought-free love addresses the ideas stated in the depiction of Book 3 that poetry and life revolve around feelings, not words because there are some things that words cannot say, so when the dog’s owner tells him that he loves him, he “won’t speak at all: [he’ll] show it.” This further illustrates that dogs are more wholesome creatures because they do not over think love and other situations; dogs just feel and act accordingly. This point reminds me of “The Sentence…” where the speaker wants to “stop thinking” and just express his feelings for his respondent. All this emphasis on feeling gives me confidence because I have always pride myself on being sensitive and receptive of others’ feelings and attitude.
ReplyDeleteYou're kind of hating on thinking today, aren't you C&L? Has Spring caught you in its mitts?
DeleteI am not by any means encouraging bigotry against consciousness. Nor would I support your premise that dogs are "so fantastically loyal and loving because they lack these thoughts ... they do not over think love and other situations." You can be a thoughtful -- even hyper-thoughtful -- person and still be just as loving as a dog. Our human cognitive prowess need not impede our compassion (see my self-description: "Imagination unbinds the radius of compassion...").
And the reason the dog-people's shirts are blue is because that is the color of city shelter volunteers' shirts. Reading in more than that is, ironically for you, over-thinking it ;)
This poem strikes a particular nerve with me because this past year I lost my dog to the problems associated with old age and I had loved him dearly. This poem brings back all the good memories I had with him and how I was always jealous for how simple his desires were. I also enjoy how the dog in this poem recognizes human solemnity but can’t itself fathom experiencing these emotions. The text I think very accurately expresses how straightforward and innocent canines are with their unbounded loyalty and positivity. Dogs really inhabit the phrase “ignorance is bliss”, as is evidenced by the poem. It is heartening to see the thoughts of dogs put into words because they are so pure and joyful one can’t help but smile at the idea of living life as a dog. I also enjoyed how the simple thoughts “I’m a dog”, were consistent throughout the text to remind the reader of the simple-mindedness of canines.
ReplyDeleteYou know, as people we're ignorant of a lot of things that dogs sense ... and our ignorance doesn't grant us that bliss. So you've got to ask yourself: What is the actual source of that bliss -- what am I:::: missing?
Delete