my dog got published
my dog got published
after many rejections,
Fido made the big time
with thoughts bound in leather
and royalties galore
food once from cans
now Fido dines in Cannes
jettsetting with Riveria rovers
and roveresses
Our cat hacks away
writing a blog that no one reads
adding a new entry every time
she gets tired of tangling yarn
The unexamined bone is not worth burying
Discover more by playing than behaving
Chase only the car that cannot be caught
Write about what you know, we tell our cat,
but cats are stubborn
and don’t take to guidance or suggestions
Fido made the big time
and the big time made Fido
to the point that Fido
is at the whistle and call
of his reputation
Fido eats well, but now waddles as he walks the walk
that all celebrated dogs must be led down
Spare the rug, spoil the carpet
You miss one hundred percent of the hydrants you never stop at
Some slippers are to be tasted and a few chewed and digested
He who barks last barks loudest
He who bites first bites longest
He who backs away, fights off fleas another day
This is our cat on the keys
typing into the electronic void
and on top of it all
living the life.
— Zumwalt (2011)
zumpoems 