Jeff

Jeff

His joy
is a drumbeat
on laminate ground. 

He is tethered here,
doing nothing 

but won't
restrain
his bliss. 

The Prompt

This tiny poem was written in a tiny moment tucked between Jeff’s weight check and heartworm test. (Just a checkup - he’s doing well on all fronts.) For the bazillionth time, I marveled at the happiness of this furry little friend of mine, who will probably develop arthritis in his tail from the wear and tear of incessant bliss.

In her beautiful interviews with writers,

Jane Ratcliffe

always includes this question: “Tell me about any special relationship you’ve had with an animal, domestic or wild.” Today’s prompt is in the same spirit. Think of a particular non-human animal. One specific animal who has crossed your path or woven their way into your soul. It could be a particular bird perched at your feeder right in this moment or a particular ant traversing your kitchen floor. It could be the first horse you ever rode or the last dog who broke your heart.

If this animal is still present in your life, spend some time with them. Look into their eyes (assuming they aren’t, say, a blind cavefish). Sit with them and feel their presence. Play with them if that’s a thing you do. Feed them something special. Or go back in your memory, sift stories and moments, feel your way into connection with that being again.

What feelings, stories, images, and sensations come to the forefront for you as you spend time with this animal or with the memory of them?

Does this animal have a message for you? What might you learn from them? What trait of theirs do you most admire? What would it be like to walk a day in their paws (or fly a day with their wings, swim a day with their fins, etc)?

As always, please don’t think that you need to think through every single one of these questions or squeeze a response to all of them into a single poem! Notice what pulls your interest, attention, or emotion. Follow the heat. Let it spark whatever poem is asking for expression in this moment. I look forward to reading what you share! You all are such a lovely bunch of animals.

P.S. If you’d like to share a picture to go along with your poem, you can do that in the 100 Poems chat or restack this post on Notes with a photo attached.