I don’t ask for much in life
I settle for the least
A bed to sleep in, warm at night
And now and then a feast
A little exercise most days
In the garden, out the back
Some water there to quench my thirst
And perhaps. sometimes. a snack
Yet in return for these small things
I’ll be a life-long friend
Always there to welcome you
On me you can depend
For I am faithful to the last
Ever by your side
I’ll be a true companion
In whom you can confide
I’m always pleased to see you
Whenever that might be
No matter how you’re feeling
For that’s part of being me
For I am dog you understand
A canine through and through
Unequivocally there to be
A special friend for you
‘Unconditional‘ was first posted to Jemverse in January 2015
[Today concludes the ‘My very best’ series – a selection of 12 of the many thousands of poems I’ve written to date in my 50+ years as a poet. There are many more I could have picked so perhaps there’ll be a ‘My very best II’ at some point. Who knows? One thing is certain; I’ll not stop writing!]
Dog walkers walking with plenty of dogs
some running free some on leads
the river meandering down to the sea
with ducks hiding there in the reeds
A grey sky above but the chill is now gone
and there's no wind at all here today
There's even a hint of blue through the cloud
out there in the spread of the bay
The fishermen's cottages so often filmed
are prominent there on the cliff
as we with best foot forward walk
with legs from winter, stiff
And this is a day of the magical kind
the ones with a 'je ne sais quoi'
for joie de vivre, for zest and much more
the one's to shout loud 'et voila!'
Walked a circle round the airport
the rain was in the air
and it was fairly windy
but we loved being there
The three of us and Wolfgang
ten thousand steps then home for tea
is always going to tick the box
in Shoreham by the sea
I'm curled in a circle in my little bed
on the floor in the room where I rest my head
when I'm not barking or running instead
as mostly I need a good nap
I'm curled and I'm comfy and that's a no-brainer
as with anything else I'd be quite the complainer
for comfortable snoozes I'm a canine campaigner
as mostly I need a good nap
October shadow, Obi's field
in the heart of Sussex Weald
barely was the warmth concealed
in the autumn now
Walked a mile around the place
felt again familiar grace
with the sunshine on my face
in the autumn now
Obi ran, he always does
round in circles there because
this is how he gets his buzz
in the autumn now
Spent up there our usual hour
underneath the oaken bower
turning trees above us tower
in the autumn now
In his favourite chair he sleeps
whilst words behind him flow
the poet's dog oblivious
to this refined tableau
Yet his presence is a comfort
as there once in a while
the poet looks up from his work
and sees him with a smile
On a bright day in September when out for a walk
with my G-pa and G-ma for a sniff and a talk
they showed me the sights, the river and such
but I have to say now, can't remember that much
'Cos the smells in the grass and the other dogs there
were all that held interest to be frank, though I care
'Cos I love them both dearly; they're my people and kin
and I'm grateful to both for the places we've been
For my name is Wolfgang, a Patterdale me
and this is mostly about the places I've wee'd
As that's really what a dog's life is about
So I'll say that here with a loud barky shout
Took a selfie with Wolfgang (me in the red)
Two chaps on the sofa rear-facing instead
He belongs to my daughter and son-in-law, Lee
but I've known him since birth so he's precious to me
Two good friends together for the selfies one takes
captured there in a moment for memories to make
My professional qualifications
are my paws and yes, my ears
and I've been honing up my skills
for over seven years
My whiskers? Yes, they play a part
as does my curly tail
but when push comes to the shove
my paws and ears regale
For I am dog and this is what
I need to remain regal
and do the job that I'm here for
to care for both my people
A Woozle went a-running
in a field in the sun
his ears pointing upright
as he galloped on the run
Thunderpaws by nature
they were thundering today
as he ran around in circles
with a 'hip hip hip hooray'
For this was joy unbridled
unfettered running free
expressed there in his features
with a dog smile full of glee
...all about me and my life in words. I write most days, carrying an ideas book around in which I capture a word snapshot of life around me. So there's a lot here about Sussex and the sea and anything else I see that inspires.
The pictures are mine too. Some taken to match a poem; some poems written to match a pic; others chosen because they work well with words written.
Jemverse is life in words. Hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoy the writing...
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