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Thursday, 25 August 2022

Happy Poetry Friday, friends. And happy National Dog Day!

Tanita Davis is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday round-up at {fiction, instead of lies}

I am happy to share that we are a two-dog family once again. In February, we adopted a second beagle. Abbi is elderly. Her owner passed away and the family surrendered her to the same beagle rescue that matched us with Arthur.

Look at these two!

Arthur insisted that Abbi needed a friend at her vet appointment.

Beagles have so much personality. Arthur is very emotional, the drama queen of the family. Abbi hasn’t had an easy life, but she is trusting and loves chin scratches.

I went looking for a beagle poem and found this beautiful portrait by Charles Bukowski.

beagle
by Charles Bukowski

do not bother the beagle lying there
away from grass and flowers and paths,
dreaming dogdreams, or perhaps dreaming
nothing, as men do awake;
yes, leave him be, in that simple juxtaposition,
out of the maelstrom, lucifugous as a bat,
searching bat-inward
for a state of grace.

Read the rest here.

You can follow Arthur & Abbi on Instagram.

13 responses to “Poetry Friday: Dog Update”

  1. *barooo!* Welcome, Abbi! (High-paw, Arthur!) xo, Smidgey

  2. Linda Baie says:

    Aw, the two look like happy beagles, Laura. I can see Abbi’s age but you will give her a special few years more, I’m sure. The poem sets the stage beautifully!

  3. Susan T. says:

    Those sweet beagles! One of my favorite friends from childhood was Mama Mia, the beagle up the street.

  4. Oh, thank you for being someone willing to love and lose elderly dogs in order to give them a wonderful family nearer to the end of their lives. Enjoy the sweetness, Laura. They’re adorable!

  5. tanita says:

    I cannot EVER say that I knew Bukowski had written a beagle poem! How’d I miss this one! What gorgeous, sweet looking creatures you have; may you have so many happy years with them.

  6. What a sweetie-pie and lovely pic of the two together. The poem sounds like sensitivities that many of us can relate to, thanks for sharing it—and enjoy the doggies!

  7. Molly Hogan says:

    Love the picture and the poem and all your beagle love.

  8. Old dogs are a GIFT! What a joy to add another beagle to your family… and on National Dog Day, too!

  9. Laura, I read this in the car yesterday and did not have time to add the comment. Your beagles are adorable. I love the picture of your beagle lying away from the light dreaming doggie dreams. Enjoy your pets.

  10. Rose Cappelli says:

    This is such a sweet post! So happy for your growing Beagle family. Dogs are such a joy.

  11. Mary Lee says:

    Sweet pups and so lucky to have you and your secret garden!

  12. Oh, they are both so sweet!

    We lost our nearly 14-year-old dog (Border collie/Aussie shepherd) last fall and I’ve sometimes said that if we ever get another dog I would love a beagle. We’ve never had one … there’s just something about them that calls to me. ❤️ 😊 We also had to say goodbye to our 19-yr.-old cat, and the house was too empty, so we just brought home a kitten from the shelter a couple of weeks ago. She’s such a sweetie.

    I’ve never seen the Bukowski poem — surprising and sweet!

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Laura Shovan

Laura Shovan is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary. Her second book, Takedown, is a Junior Library Guild and PJ Our Way selection. Look for A Place at the Table, co-written with Saadia Faruqi, in 2020. Laura is a poet-in-the-schools Maryland.

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