Encyclopedic (Post)
Encylopedic (Post)
I wrote, as a child,
to my dead dog.
There is something about death that outweighs even
not knowing how to read,
meaning that delivery seemed a bigger issue
than comprehension.
I posted my letter at last
in the “D” section of my Junior Britannica,
though her name began with “C”.
This was not (at least not consciously)
because D stood for Death.
I wished for some Dog Heaven (with a post office)
where any passing Canine (drat)
might pass on a missive
of sore missing.
I never opened that Junior Britannica again,
though honestly, I’m not sure I’d ever opened it before then–
it was a single purpose
Britannica, a dead dog letter office.
Still, I cherish its cherry spine
more than any Santa’s nose
or maraschino memory.
There could be worse fates.
****************************************************
Drafty poem for Magpie Tales hosted by Tess Kincaid. Tess posts a photo prompt each week, and the above pic is her prompt. (All rights reserved by copyright holder).
I’ve written of this subject before; on one level, I apologize; on another, I note that it’s the kind of thing that sticks with you. (I’ve edited enjambment since posting.)
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: child's grief poem, dead (dog) letter office, http://magpietales.blogspot.com, lost dog poem, manicddaily
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ManicDDaily 
March 14, 2016 at 6:52 am
Karin, lovely, extraordinary, poem. You led me right into your child mind. I could see your hands pulling down the encyclopedia and turning it to some use, finally, for a very important purpose. And I know why.
March 14, 2016 at 7:33 am
Sian, thank you so much! I have been watching that house pulled down with some sadness (on FB) as it seemed to have a lot of character. Hope you all are well and looking forward to a miraculous spring. Much love, k.
On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 7:52 AM, ManicDDaily wrote:
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March 14, 2016 at 9:55 am
The narrative says so much about a child’s means of coping with loss, and the poem says a lot about the adult, keeping both child and dog alive in memory.
I found the whole very touching indeed.
March 14, 2016 at 10:40 am
Thank you, Kerry. k.
On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 10:55 AM, ManicDDaily wrote:
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March 15, 2016 at 9:57 am
Enjoyed not only the poem but the peek into your childhood. Really nice.
March 15, 2016 at 10:04 am
What a genuinely bitter-sweet poem… how to cope with sadness, and finding that letterbox encyclopedia… ties so well into that British mailbox too.
March 15, 2016 at 9:08 pm
love the witty play on words throughout the poem.
very sentimental and endearing.
March 15, 2016 at 9:08 pm
Fascinating. This is both macabre and sentimental. Thanks for sharing this.
March 16, 2016 at 5:29 am
Yes, very touching. I hope you still have that junior Britannica as these lines suggest.
March 16, 2016 at 6:25 am
Ha. No. Only in memory! K.
March 16, 2016 at 6:58 am
Very evocative of the ways our minds work at death and loss, how we make a resolution where perhaps none really exists, and yet, it is needful. Simple and luminous, k.
March 17, 2016 at 3:20 am
Death, love letters and knowledge: this is magic symbolon and says all about what we writers remain ever about.
March 19, 2016 at 8:33 pm
and file this under “s” Splendid… Sweetly Sentimental and Satisfying.
March 19, 2016 at 8:33 pm
DRAFTY!?? I think NOT