Pets – Sunshine Lane

Between a Doze and a Daydream

I came out to my studio to write this afternoon. I started off writing a quadrille poem (44 words long) that would include the word spark or sparkle for dVerse Poetry’s weekly quadrille challenge. I wrote as the breeze wafted through my open door and the sun slowly shifted to highlight the artwork on the wall opposite me. The air was not too hot and not too cold, but just exactly perfect. Missy Cat came inside and found a comfy place to snooze and suddenly I realized I had been staring off into space, halfway caught between a doze and a daydream. What a perfect afternoon and a perfect feeling of peace. I realized I was more relaxed than I’ve been in ages. Did I get a lot of writing done? No. Did I get a lot of plotting and planning done for the 50,000 word novel I’m writing for NaNoWriMo? I have to say I did. Isn’t it amazing how much one can accomplish when we simply take the time to get halfway caught between a doze and a daydream? Happy Monday everybody! Elaine

My daydream wall…

Missy Cat’s place to doze…

Waking Up at 4:49 AM (dVerse Haibun Monday)

Monday at dVerse Poet’s Pub, they were writing Haibun to the theme of an ordinary day–one paragraph and a Haiku that includes reference to nature and a season. I’m two days late and a dollar short, but hopefully I’m not too late to participate.

Each morning I feel a stirring by my side and then hear a fake cough or sneeze from my 12 pound bundle of Chihuahua mix joy known as Buddy. This is his first signal of telling me it’s time to get up. I keep my eyes closed until I hear him fake cough a couple more times and comes up to touch my face with his nose. I open my eyes and say, “Right on time, aren’t you Buddy? Give me just a minute.” He immediately goes to perch on the end of the bed, waiting for me to sit up, put on my glasses, and then grab his collar. I stand up and Buddy stretches his neck out, tilting his head to make it easy to slip the collar onto his neck. I pick him up with one hand under his belly and lower him to the floor where he immediately scampers to the back door in the kitchen. I open it to let him out to nature’s call, feeling the cool moist spring air rush in and seeing the fingers of dawn peeking over the horizon. Time for coffee!

Cool moist air wafts by.

Fingers of dawn peek over.

Spring time has broken.

D. Elaine Wood-Lane

6/8/16

Buddy-Best Friend/NaPoWriMo Day 20

Kibble eater,
Pizza lover,
Professional beggar,
Attentive listener,
Armchair confidante,
Security detail,
Blanket hog,
Puppy love,
Buddy-best friend.

Today’s challenge was to think of a single thing or person (a house, your grandmother, etc), and then write a poem that consists of kenning-like descriptions of that thing or person. For example, you might call a cat a mouse-stalker, quiet-walker, bird-warner, purr-former, etc.

I decided to write my kenning poem about my 12 pound Chihuahua mix dog, Buddy. I’ve had him over 10 years since he adopted me at a truck stop in Texline, Texas on a cold, snowy day, December 26, 2005. The reason I chose Buddy as the subject of my kenning poem is because we’ve called him most of these things already! Buddy may only weigh 12 pounds, but he takes up a lot of space in our hearts.

Buddy Speaks|NaPoWriMo Day 26

Hey! It’s 3:00 AM!
Time for Sweetie
to get up!
Sometimes
she sleeps in
until 5:30 AM.

Now that I’ve
“tinkled,”
as Sweetie
puts it,
and eaten,
it’s nap time
for me!

She really is
a sweetie.
I can see
why Honey
calls her that.

She takes
care of me,
lets me
share her food,
and sleep
on her lap.

I’m sure glad
she found me
at that truck stop.
It was so cold and
I was so hungry.

She walked out
of the store,
I ran up to her,
looked up into
her pretty
blue eyes,
tilted my head
a little to the right
(like Mama
taught me),
and the rest,
as they say,
was history!

She picked me up,
gave me
her burrito,
and let me sleep
on her lap.
I was muddy
and wet, but
she just
let me sleep,
all the way
to Colorado!

She calls me “Buddy”
’cause I’m friendly
to nearly everyone,
except scary people,
cats, and tree rats.
I always warn her
about those guys!
I don’t want her
to get hurt!

Oh, she’s
awake again!

Time for me
to go!

We’re supposed
to go for a walk
this morning.

I saw that tree rat
outside again and
I swear he was
taunting me!

I can’t wait until
I get hold of
that cheeky
little devil…

Buddy Lane,
Sweetie’s Assistant

Today’s prompt: Write a persona poem – a poem in the voice of someone else. Your persona could be a mythological or fictional character, a historical figure, or even an inanimate object.

Needless to say, I wrote my poem in the voice of my 13 pound Chihuahua, Buddy Lane. The story he tells is true. Alan does call me Sweetie and I do call him Honey. Oh, and Buddy does wake me up at 3:00 AM every single day. It’s ok, though, because no one is perfect, right?

Peace and love, Elaine