DogSpeak #9 Dog Hair

DogSpeak #9 Dog Hair

Always yelling, telling us
to get off the couch, the bed,
your favorite chair,
even outside on the deck
to get off the chaise lounge.
The hair you say –
well, yeah, we’re dogs
made of hair.

Don’t be misguided;
we are not common dogs
we don’t like hardwood anything
nothing without tufting,
no unfluffy rugs for us,
no cold hard flat surfaces.
Though we have our own padding,
we want to curl up and stretch out
in an ocean of high-density
high-quality polyurethane fiberfill.

We like sink-to-our-bellies cushy
we love deep-as-our-knees comfy
we want down-filled pillows
under our feet when we walk.

We want to roll over and over
in a field of cotton clover,
a couch of springy soft foam,
recliners covered in silk damask
stuffed with the wool from a thousand
newly-shorn sheep, and expect us
to leave some dog hair behind
to remind you we were there.

Brush us all you like, day and night,
we’re dogs, we shed… a lot –
you should accept that and
to helling with the yelling.

We want to nap in the lap of luxury
want to sleep in doggy sweet dreams
on the overstuffed sofa
and not have you chase us off.
It’s only right, we are not common dogs
it’s where we belong –
after all, that’s why they call it fur-niture.

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #8 Toying

DogSpeak #8 Toying

joy, happiness
tails metronome
in constant motion

loofah latex llamas
gnawsome footballs
busy bones

stuffed squirrel
squeaky rubber duck
fuzzy blue ball

romping, frolicking
darting, dashing
cavorting elation

purple penguin
fluffy yellow flower
squishy parakeet

monkey jumping tope
nylabone chewy ring
neon green alligator

rolling, bouncing
tossing, twisting
tugging great fun

every color tennis balls
small, medium, gigantua
throw, chase, retrieve

grunting piggy
squawking rubber chicken
crinkly rhino

grappling, chasing
racing, jumping
ear to ear smiles

jingle jangle ball bell
wiggly wobbly giggly ball
slippers, shoes – oopsie!

huggy teddy bear
pink softy elephanty
knotted ropey pull toy

noisy water bottle
red-nosed reindeer
snoring floppy bear

soaring, catching
running, leaping
barking merriment

so many toys
so little time
– play while you can!

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #7 Nothing Better

DogSpeak #7 Nothing Better

Bacon bacon bacon
we love bacon
bacon treats
bacon kibble
bacon gravy on bacon potatoes
bacon in/on/with everything
bacon!

You humans are odd
bacon raw but never crisp
bacon crisp but never raw
bacon strips warmed over
but we don’t care
it’s bacon!

Bacon in the middle of
two slices of bacon
on a bacon bread sandwich
with a drizzle of bacon
on top.

Homemade bacon cookies…
hint hint
wink wink.

Bacon
we love bacon
better than anything
bacon chews
bacon bones
bacon toys
bacon sticks
bacon
nothing better than bacon bacon
bacon
oh chicken
chicken wings
chicken skin sizzling
chicken treats
chicken kibble
with chicken gravy
nothing better than chicken
oh beef…

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #6 You and Me and He/She

DogSpeak #6 You and Me and He/She

I’m lonely when you’re not home
and I know you need to go to work
to make bone money, yeah money
to buy bones, but it’s so quiet when
you’re not here.

Can you get me a brother or a sister,
a he or she? I won’t love you any less,
won’t play favorites between you and
him/her, will always have kisses
for you,

but I need someone to romp with,
maybe a puppy to show the ropes to,
teach him/her to follow the rules,
outside to do business before play,
not to bark at the mailman because
he’s our friend, though I don’t know
why. He’s never brought me anything.

But I digress. I’ll teach little newbie
how to sit and stay, but no begging
because we don’t beg here. Dinner
is always yummy, eat it all and then
you get a treat. No hogging the bed,
your pillow is off limits, and never
ever under any duress, take your shoes
or slippers or stinky socks.

What do you say? Can I share you,
can you share me, and make room
for number three?

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #5 Kisses, Always Kisses

DogSpeak #5 Kisses, Always Kisses

You know how much
I love you
adore you, want you
need you
can’t imagine my life
without you
I love you.
Kisses, always kisses
no nips, no bites
no fights
no grudges held over
heads and shoulders
released before night falls
with kisses
always kisses.

We don’t always agree
like bath time
or vet time
or time to trim my nails
but we always get along
you say you know best
and I trust you
to let me have my way
now and then
always with kisses, kisses
always.

You toss and turn
crumbs leftover from the day
clogging dream canals
and I cuddle close
closer, hugs, hugger
you smile
I offer kisses
and always
always
you accept all the kisses
I’ve got
and that’s a lot.

Kisses
always kisses.

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #4 Scratch and Sniff

DogSpeak #4 Scratch and Sniff

You’re thinking I’m Houdini,
right? Maybe Houndini, ok
groan.

It’s instinct, at least I think it is.
You scratch my ear, and please do
and often; I tilt my head, my eyes
glass over, and I moan that same moan
as when you give me that big cow leg
filled with peanut butter –

and that’s not even the Houdini part.

No, but then, when you stop,
I insist on sniffing your scratching finger.
No one told me to do this, it’s not listed
in the Dog to Human User Guide, apparently
not something posted on facebook or twitter
or insta-whatever, I just know to do this.
I have to do this and you have to let me.

So long as you know you have to scratch
my ears, and no cheating by doing just one,
both, please, and then right away, I have to
sniff your finger, your knuckle, your whole
hand because I have to know what’s going on
in there. Curiosity takes over, are there crops
of onions or potatoes, oh, maybe seedlings
for tennis ball trees? Ok, groan. What,
a build-up of wax and how did it get there?

No x-rays; no cat scan, no felines allowed;
no lab results although Rover is part-lab
and he’s ok but even he can’t describe what
the inside of my ears smell like. I need to know.
I hypnotize you to do your scratching duty,
I’m mesmerized by the ecstasy of it and then
presto – let me sniff the scratch. Ok, want me
to scratch yours? Just kidding, groan.

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #3 Daily News

DogSpeak #3 Daily News

You’ve got your newspaper
now get my leash, coffee for you,
water for me, and let’s go get my news.

We’re going to the park!
No rain today, sunny skies
no fleas, no flies, and friends all around.

Sniff, sniff
Charlie was here
sniff, sniff
and so was Scout but now they’re gone.
See, you take too long getting ready.
No one here cares what you’re wearing.

Oh, big boy Xerox had bbq chicken last night.
Lucky him but I had french fries, maybe just
a little too much salt. Can I have some water
please, thanks.

Ok, gotta run and play!
All my foodie friends are here –

Hershey and Ruffles, Klondike and Snickers,
Snapple, Munchkin and Keebler, and that giant
Gumball, though he is round and sweet.

We’re at the dog park –
play play play
sniff sniff sniff
what a wonderful life!

A ball, a stick, my favorite – a frisbee
all shapes and sizes, all colors and breeds,
all joyous together.
Hey humans, are you taking notes?

Ok, tired now. Home, please.
Bed. Sleep.
Will you carry me?
Sniff sniff
here, you need some kisses.

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak #2 Hour 2

DogSpeak #2

You sleep half as much as I do
which is still not enough but
when I wake for the first time,
no matter what the clock says,
it’s time to get up.

Get up.
I have to go out.
Get up.
Now!

And finally, you get the message.
Trudge down the steps in the dark,
unlock the back door, hold it open
and I bound out like joy is tickling
my feet. Ahh, so good. And then,
tired, I curl up on the deck to fall
fast asleep. I need my 14 hours.

You yawn at the door, see me
do nothing important; you get huffy
and tell me to go do my business.
Sleep is my business and I don’t care
where. As though I need to know,
you tell me it is one in the morning.
Yeah, so? I stretch, get up and race
you to your pillow. I win.

But you push me over, grumbling
about your alarm set for seven
before punching your pillow and
falling into snoreland.

We do this several times a night
until you decide to ignore me. Not
advisable.

Trust me. Before you lumber
mumbling off to work, you’ll be
pulling out the carpet cleaner.
And then I’ll have nine blissful
hours of sleep. I’ll miss you but
have a nice day!

~ J R Turek

DogSpeak Hour 1 2022

DogSpeak

Sometimes I wonder
about these humans –
their manic mood swings
about the least important stuff
like what to wear and where
to go, what to eat, who to go
with or without, who pays, who drives…
it drives me out of my canine head
to think they are stressing themselves.

My buddy has some sage advice
about worry; after all, He made
the lilies in the field to sprout,
grow, bloom, and die. He gave
birds wings to fly, skills to build
nests, multiply; to forage for food
for their families and the sense to
stay away from felines. He may
have made these peoplekind …
though some aren’t too kind…
in his image but we are a reflection
of Him. It’s what we are. God. Dog.
It makes us, well special and we love
everything about Him… just maybe
questioning his judgment with
these human beings.

So what happened when it came
to humans? Life is good, plenty
to do, to see, to experience first paw,
umm, hand, so who cares who has
the bigger house or truck or paycheck?
They are worrying themselves into
a shorter life and then that big boat
bopping around the bay won’t mean
a thing.

I hope they get the message soon.
After all, this is an important time.
It’s time for my dinner.

~ J R Turek

Just one sleep cycle away…

Looking forward to another 24-hour marathon!  Good luck to all, stay inspired and upbeat, stay hydrated and don’t forget the chocolate!   ~ J R Turek

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