Harry tried to
take charge of the judging earlier this month--perhaps because he's still a
puppy himself, he thought he had more to offer than the older dogs. He actually
has a very good ear for poetry. Unfortunately, at almost 11-months old, his
attention span is still short and he tended to eat the printed pages before
he finished reviewing them. (Thank goodness we had email originals!) We ended
up putting Harry in his crate so we could finally finish the job. And here's
the pick of the litter:
First
Place: "Mischief"
by Judi Walker
Second
Place: "A Retriever Pup's Lament"
by Sandra Hardie
Third
Place: "First Hunt"
by Erin McCarty
Mischief
by Judi Walker
Black and cute,
I'm sitting mute
With mischief on my mind.
I'm always on the lookout for
Fun of every kind.
No growl or bark to tell on me,
Just sitting here until
I build up all my energy
To run in for the kill.
My mum has put her washing out,
It really is a shame.
But I must swing on all the hems,
Maybe you will get the blame.
If I can just pull something down,
A wooden peg falls free.
That is good 'cause then I can
Chew it up, you see.
I really have to go right now,
My mum is going in.
Her favourite cardigan is swinging there
To sink my milk teeth in.
Copyright © 1999
by Judi Walker.
A
Retriever Pup's Lament
by Sandra Hardie
They say that
I'm too little.
They say I'll have to wait.
And off they go with guns and dogs
And leave me at the gate.
But I can run
and jump and swim
And fetch and sit and stay.
I am a little slow to drop
But I let them take it away.
It's lonely here.
They'll be gone all day.
*
*
*
So the couch is
mine.
ALL MINE! ALL DAY!
Copyright © 1999
by Sandra Hardie.
First
Hunt
by Erin McCarty.
Her velvet ears
lie list'ning,
Her eyes with excitement shine,
Her tiny nose is glist'ning,
Her voice emits a low whine.
What is this strange
creation
That is crouching in the grass?
Her tail's slow oscillation
Betrays nervous eagerness.
At last she leaps
agilely
To descend upon her prey...
She's left with the memory
Of the one that got away.
Copyright © 1999
by Erin McCarty.
Here
are the winning poems from our Summer/Fall 1999 Two Dog Poetry Contest! This little
Swedish pup from Seabirds inspired dozens of poets to write playful verse that
tapped into the young dog's innermost thoughts and motivations! We had more than
40 submissions and all were a delight to read--even those that strayed a bit from
the instructions!
