#dog poems on Hello Poetry

Nat Lipstadt Aug 18

"And the older I get, the more I'm sure
That more by itself never was a cure
Some days I've got nothing to show for except
Walking the dog and walking the floor"
Mary Chapin Carpenter
<><><>
it's been twenty years plus
who can remember exact,
the last time I had a full-time four-legged
companion to share my bed, greet my head with
wagging tail, and joy incessantly, overflowing and drowning me
with face lickings and hugs of a topsy turvy twisty body,
and smiles and curdling yowls of deep throated
cries of obvious joy and the
first thing I'll do when the nectar of next
life's staging begins to commence will be me to get
such a dog as heretofore I remember as an unadulterated purest joy,

I'll still walk the floor,
long walks, yup, outdoors, early morn,
and late afternoon day settling setting endings,
dog and me, freshly bathed, settling in to watch
some British crime and ****** mysteries sleuthed and
solved by folks I'll never meet, but whose company enjoyed
over the distance of an atlantic sea and about seven feet,
and maybe dog curls up next to me, by my pillowed
head, or between my happy to snuggle legs,
don't matter much, dog & me,
will discuss an alternating
rotation satisfying our
mutuality,

and even when I still walk the floor, which be a task for evermore,
he can walk beside me if he chooses, cause choice is
what's it all about
with a true companion

nml

Girl and Her Dog
Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter ‧ 2025

Everyone asks when you're growing up
"Who do you want to be?"
I never had an answer, couldn't figure out
Why I couldn't see myself as some future other
No one's partner, no one's mother
No one's answer, no one's lover
Nobody but me
But the older I get, the more I see
That more by itself never worked for me
Keeping it simple as it can be
Walking along, just him and me
Mornings here with a coffee cup
Songs in my head, looking up
If the rain holds off, we'll be in luck
But we're lucky anyway
A long time ago, I got married once
It didn't take long to find
That the words I heard coming out of his mouth
Were not the truthful kind
I thought about moving to LA
Maybe upstate or the UK
Anywhere as long as it's far away
From what I left behind
And the older I get, the more I'm sure
That more by itself never was a cure
Some days I've got nothing to show for except
Walking the dog and walking the floor
Mornings here with a coffee cup
Stories in my head, looking up
If the rain holds off, we'll be in luck
But we're lucky anyway
In summer, neighbors leave tomatoes
In fall, dust coats your tires
Spring greens up every shadow
In December, we lay a fire
I figure I'm finally old enough
To know who I want to be when I grow up
A girl and her dog riding in the truck
Wave as we're going by
Now the older I get, the less I need
Just a good old dog underneath the trees
Keeping it simple as it can be
Fitting together like a puzzle piece
Mornings here with a coffee cup
Whistling for him while I'm looking up
If the rain holds off, we'll be in luck
But we're lucky anyway
We're lucky anyway

<>
1147am mon aug 8 twenty five nml hat lipstadt

#man #nml #no #dog #lipstadt

kortu valentine Aug 16

fresh coat of nothing.

sorry, no pets
no pets allowed
constantly,
no matter
how much higher
we go above asking price.

they tell us,
tenants have rights,
to formally beg
to keep a pet,
and landlords
must consider
each request.

bite me.

because ares
is apparently
dirtier than a child,
crayon on the walls,
smearing god knows what on tile,
sticking stuff up nose and ears,
to guarantee a hospital stay overnight.

please.

he drinks from human glass.
sleeps like a king.
catches butterflies
and runs at the sound
of a door opening.

he’s neater than i am.
neater than you.
what’s your excuse
for the issues reported,
but never followed through?

this one is about the landlords who paint over bugs and broken promises — while sitting on their high horses, pretending pets are the problem.
August 16, 2025

#pets #cat #dog #renting #housing #landlord #dig #home #house #catpoem

Jantar2b Aug 11

(A)STRAY

I follow your trail wherever you go
I chase your reflection from years ago
I remember all tricks you tought me once
Sit, paw, play dead, dance

You raised a stray pup on your own chest
Allowed in your home, allowed me to rest
I bared my teeth when you asked me to
I'd smooth fur on my neck if told so too

But you could never love such broken pup
For all of your care, I've never cought up
With what you hoped for me to achieve
My rotten heart forever will grieve

My canine mind still searches you
The words you've spoken are to me true
You are my faith, what I trusted whole
Yet you left with all the memories you stole

I howl at night when I loose the trail
A familiar feeling to be tossed while frail
I wonder if you could ever love a stray
I wonder if there's something that would make you stay

I sink my teeth in the scut of mine
All that chase is a waste of time
A mongrel could never be a reason to stay
I'm sorry it's my fault for going astray

#dog #abandonment #canine #onesided

Jantar2b Aug 11

never again

You look away, I wonder why
Would you do this. You aren't shy
Your gentle hands don't long for me
I should have known better than to follow thee
But dog will always guide you home
No matter the hatred you harbor for some
You tried to be kind, I know you did
But you see, I've noticed the knife you thought you hid
You'd burry me flowers to beside me rot
And tiny ants would on my body trot
So before you hurt me I'll bare my teeth
I hope there's still love left in you underneath
Thank you for taking what you got to gain
I hope I will trust you never again

It's one of the older poems I wrote when I was still experimenting. There are mistakes, I'm aware but there's something nostalgic when I look at them. Maybe mistakes are poetry too

#dog #trust #betrayal #raw

Jane Drowned Aug 9

Subconscious Rambling

Sometimes I do not know what to write,
What to think or even,
How to feel.
So I let my subconscious take lead,
and my fingers obey
Like a loyal dog with fleas
I feel I have to write
As desperate as the dog needs to itch
But sometimes the dog will itch so much it leaves a wound,
And the wound is still itchy
Soon before the dog knows, it's infected
Now it's on its way to the vet
Where the vet gives it cream and a cone around it's neck.
Unfortunately for the dog and unbeknownst to the master
The itch cream doesn't work.
Now, the dog is stuck with an itch and no way to scratch it.
But at least the dog doesn't have fleas anymore

Writers block

#writers #block #rambling #random #dog #itch #fleas

greatsloth Jul 30

imagine you met God

Imagine you met God after your end
You bowed in reflex 'cause the prophets did
You crawled to His toe like a loyal dog
But, when you look up into His eyes
You can't see any praise
Only twisted face of shame.

I'd like to think that God made us to tell Him a story—the unique story of our life. If that's the case then do you think He would enjoy listening to your stories when all of them are about him?

#god #praise #imagine #prophets #end #death #dog

M Innes Jul 27

This Tree In July

It didn't matter

that the bird

survived.

It didn't matter

that the council

drained the lake.

The long

summer

never actually

arrived.

The blue sky

eventually went

and lived else-

where.

I asked the dog

why you were

so sad. Was told

that you always

hated July. Something

about the coldness,

and so

always having to hold

on to the

warmest parts

of each other.

#tree #july #cold #dog

saint Jul 23

"a good boy's ghost"

i was small when you chose me.
a ribbon tied beautifully around my neck,
shaking in a box
the sun too bright for my eyes.
you smiled,
and i mistook it for kindness.
my forever home.

i learned quickly
that love can wear faces.
that hands can come down hard and still call it discipline.
that food is not promised, even if you sit.
even if you beg.
even if you try to be the best boy.

the chain outside never rusted faster than my hope did.
i stopped barking for help when no one came.
just curled tighter,
colder,
quieter.

you taught me fear by name.
it was yours.

when i peed on the carpet,
it wasn’t defiance.
i just couldn’t hold it anymore.
you never let me out.
but you held my head down like my lungs were made to drown.
and i thought,
maybe this is what love feels like to monsters.

you forgot to name me.
so i named myself sit.
so i named myself stay.
bad dog.

i chewed the furniture once
not to destroy,
but because no one left me toys,
and my teeth ached with the loneliness of growing.

do you remember when i licked your hand after you hit me?
i do.
i thought maybe if i gave you all of my love,
yours might finally stay.

they say dogs are loyal.
but what they mean is:
“we forgive the unforgivable
with our tails still wagging.”

i would’ve died for you.
but you made me live like this instead.

and now i sleep in silence
a small grave behind the shed,
where no one visits.
where no one remembers.
but i remember.

i remember everything.

and still,
i hope your next dog knows only warmth.
and that if ghosts have teeth,
mine are dull.

because i only ever wanted to be good.
even if you never said i was.

a sad narrative from a faithful friend.

#dog #dogs #pets #ghost #life #soul #pain #good #bad #hands

Lee Jul 19

How am I not the dog

I prefer to sit in the back
Make my instructions clear
and I’ll get on track
I’m easy to joke with
Please just go on and laugh

Partially joking words

#dog #child #pet #relationship #lgbtq #adhd

Ray Wilbur Jul 17

Can I pet your dog

Her name is Loblolly, you
do say it quickly, see

the whole beach sticks to your tongue
she must often be told

Loblolly, please, drop what thing you have found-
   Like the Southeasterly tree?

Yep, like when spent, that conifer's cone
   By which you mean...ovally brown

Ha. Like her head.
  Plus, look, the way that her tail

Loblolly, Treat!
sends for the Sun
columnarly.

#dog