two black pit bulls
send up a raucous greeting.
WOOF, WOOF,
Bark, bark, bark.
Then a cactus wren
chatters a reply.
TWEET, TWEET,
Cheep, cheep, cheep.
They keep at it.
WOOF, WOOF,
Bark, bark, bark.
TWEET, TWEET,
Cheep, cheep, cheep.
The highs and lows of it.
WOOF, WOOF,
Bark, bark, bark.
TWEET, TWEET,
Cheep, cheep, cheep.
Each trying for the last word.
This is a poem that could be done in three voices as a group poem. Have you ever had a conversation, or an argument where one person tries to have the last word? By the time you've reached that point, you have information you want the other person to have, but they aren't listening. Let me repeat that--They aren't listening. So if you reach the point where one person is trying to have the last word, you aren't really having a conversation and both parties are wasting their time. It is like the dogs and the bird, they are only making noise to hear themselves.
If you reach the point where people won't listen to you, it is time to take yourself off to figure out what that person will listen to. What is important to that person? What do they want to talk about? There just aren't enough good listeners in this world.
Can you write a poem about listening, or about sound today? Have fun writing.
"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different." Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel prize winning physician
"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different." Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel prize winning physician
Joy,
ReplyDeleteI love how you wrote this as an interactive poem. This is also a great tool for teaching listening skills. Difficult topics such as how to handle disagreements are often taught through use of animals. You did just that. Very well done. I'm passing this one on to a counselor friend. Thanks for all your many great poems!