Sniff Becomes Her (Draft Poem)
Dog Returning to City
A dog newly returned to the city
keeps her nose to the paving stone.
Who cares about loam?
Yesterday’s rural soil proffered
a podge of worm, root, growth,
but the leg of a park bench teems
with personality.
So long even to that grass that, tinged
with deer, she rolled about in
weeks now past; the sidewalk is tinge unhinged==
laced with history–her own and its grey slab–
who passed through–who was who–
she traces it
with the absolute doggedness of the canine.
Like a Buddhist achieving one-pointedness,
sniff becomes her, the Aum of all sentient beings
(all sentient beings who leave their mark)
reverberating in one small quivering hide.
Tags: "Sniff Becomes Her", dog as Buddhist poem, dog poem, drawing of sniffing dog, Karin Gustafson poetry, manicddaily, ManicDDaily draft poem, Manicddaily pencil drawing, poem about dog newly returned to city, poem about dog sniffing
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
ManicDDaily 
August 24, 2010 at 7:03 pm
First off, I love the drawing. Did you do that?
The smell of humans feet, the odor of pigeons she likes to chase, and the shrill of the ambulances and police as they go by on missions of mercy and protection are ingrained in this little beauty. No lovely pastures can ever keep her satisfied, she wants action, and besides there is the cutest cur called Tramp that she has her eyes on.
Loved the flow of this cute and well-written piece. Nice work. You touched on something I love. Dogs.
August 24, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Thanks so much! Yes, I do all the drawings on the blog. (Unless it’s an old master like Giotto or something (!) whom I generally credit.)
I also love dogs, especially my own, Pearl, who will be 15 this week. There’s another dog poem I’ve posted – “Truest Love Poem” http://wp.me/pAARg-FZ is link. (I don’t know if it will click in comment.) Take care and thanks for checking in.