This week has been school holidays...ups and downs thereof...mixed in with 'what is going to happen in Zimbabwe?', plus reading Barbara Kingsolver's 'The Poisonwood Bible' (still fascinating..about three quarters of the way through now), plus listening to Karine Polwart's marvellous new cd 'This Earthly Spell', plus (just now) an unbelievably long time looking up My Little Pony names on the internet (for small girl, you understand, not for me... or my beloved). Modern family life never ceases to amaze me with the way you can be thinking about Mugabe one minute and then My Little Pony the next. In fact sometimes there isn't even a whole minute between subjects. It's no wonder we're all so mad...there's multi-tasking and then there's just plain overloading the equipment.
Living as I do in a three generational sandwich of a household, I tend to think an awful lot about ideas for poems about women and families and the differences between times of life. A couple of years ago I wrote the poem below about parenthood and childhood. Just recently someone said they liked it which was nice as it hasn't been out and about much, this little one. I think of it often though...every time I'm just a little too harsh. Get down, Shep, I think, get down.
The dog house
Hear yourself shout
God what a horrible sound that is
Bark of a bitter dog
Little pup is unconcerned
Gets on with its own games
Thinks old mutt is crazy
And sometimes prone to
Unreasonably high expectations
Pup wags its tail
Jumps up sniffing
"Play with me", it pants
"I won't be this fresh forever"
RF 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
heh sounds familiar, I love that last line - unusual but so fitting.
Yes...feeling distinctly unfresh myself today! So I guess that means stale...
It's a good point about our splattered attention and the way we jump between subjects. Not sure we can row back from that now though...
I love Karine Polwart's songs too but haven't played them for a while.
Thanks for reminding me
Joanna
The new cd is every bit as good as the other 3.
Three generational household - sounds interesting. Have you read Adrienne Rich's Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law?
Oh - and, you know this already, but I do like your Dog House poem. Good to see it on the blog.
Magi
Interesting is the word! We have our 'Frasier' moments (except with Mum instead of Dad). Most of the time it is amusing (and occasionally it is hilarious). Only now and again do I want to do a Reggie Perrin instead...although of course the real hero of the piece is my beloved who puts up with all 3 female bits of the sandwich. Poor man - even the dog is female. The real dog, that is.
I don't know the piece you mention. I will look it up.
Post a Comment