THE CONVERSATION

Walking past my neighbor's house

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

Quail

A family of quail

went for a walk today

chirp-cheep, chirp-cheep

they seemed to say.

"Come on children,

let's hurry away,"

scuttle, scuttle, run

across the street

and out of the way.
Chirp-cheep, chirp-cheep.


     I saw a covey of about 20 quail on my walk this morning--two adults, half a dozen adolecents,and the rest were small little chicks.  it was fun to watch them hurry away across the road.
    Lately I've been observing that the smaller the bird the prettier their song is.    Would you agree?  What is your favorite bird song?  Can you write a poem about birds?  Do you feed the birds?  Would that make a good title?  Have fun.