[Jim Ramsey]

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you are accepting of my subject as being worthy of poetic treatment. I have cut S1 with some reservations but agree with you and Richard it can go. I can see that for the most part it is me playing indulgently with rhyme and words. As with all would-be poets, I try to get that part of life that affects me most strongly into my poems. For five years I have been getting up usually between four and five AM to take her outside. (I do not have a fence) She is old and leaks, but is so dutifully house trained that I do not want to ignore her whines and barks so heed her signal when it's time to go. She spent years in a crowded loving foster home as various adoptions did not work out, but had easy access to a fenced yard. She did not get to go on many walks. To some extent I enjoy the dark quiet of the neighborhood, the solitude of looking at the unlit houses, seeing the morning star so brightly shining, but on the other hand, that moment of her relieving herself brings me relief too, and not just because I can get back to the house. I get a lot of satisfaction from giving her attention of any kind. S1 had that meaning for me, but was not showing it to readers.

Jim

Originally Posted by Glenn Wright

Hi, Jim—

I like how you balance the mock-heroic humor with real pathos for the rescue dog who has suffered so much. I’m surprised that a dog taking a dump turned out to be worthy of poetic treatment.

I second Richard’s advice to trim S1.

Fun to read!

Glenn