Hound Haiku: Reflections on the Human-Greyhound Connection

HOUND HAIKU

Baby talk, kibble crunch Oh brother!

Nearing fifty, my wife’s a new mother Tipsy guests, distracted host Counter surfing Grab the rib roast Clank of her bowl, the first we bought her This peeing machine wants more water Fawns and blues and brindles Tans and reds and blacks Needle noses! Legs like spindles humans are stupid i wheedle, i plead: “gimme a treat, gimme a treat” finally, they get it! “ok, let’s repeat” Late-winter purple dawn Sniff-sniff, quick pee We’re moving on

Copyright © 2011 by Tom Zimmerman Photo credits: Author: front cover, pages 3 & 5, back cover (top); Ann Zimmerman: back cover (bottom) Pamphlet designed by Tom Zimmerman on a Dell computer using Microsoft Publisher. Fonts used are Calibri and Impact.

Uh-oh, no poop bag I bare-hand it Will later brag Learn from your greyhound That’s a start: Grace, flexibility, a very big heart

This pamphlet is dedicated with much love to all the humans and hounds of GEM (GreytHounds of Eastern Michigan).

Tom Zimmerman teaches English, directs the Writing Center, and edits three literary magazines at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, MI. He and Ann have been Scarlet’s parents since June 2009.

zetataurus press ann arbor mi zetataurus@comcast.net ISBN-13: 978-0-9844641-3-5 5

Reflections on the Human-Greyhound Connection

TOM ZIMMERMAN

Crow-caw Dawn-rain sparkles On Scarlet’s dewclaw

Egyptian pose again Anubis! Jackal-head!

You were reincarnated. . . when?

i swear i’ll pee on every hydrant , pole, and tree here i go again. see?

Evening walk Full moon a silver dish That never empties

I’m trimming chicken Slicing apples The breathing at my elbow quickens

Deep in the throat of the night, coyote yips Scarlet’s ears prick Call of the wild

Wet nose noses my hand A kiss?

Or some other demand?

Deep chest, meaty hams, whiplash tail Why so shy?

You’re not frail

three poops a day is all i ask picking them up: that’s your task

Thin thin line between death and play Nearly snagged a squirrel today

Overbred or primitive?

Un-doglike dog How long will you live?

We trot near a golf course Mid-swing, someone yells, “You could ride her like a horse!”

Scars in different places Trophies, badges, traces Almost-forgotten races

Golden Retriever in the park Scarlet barks a rare big-dog bark

Rocket silhouette Zero to forty in a second or less Our family pet

Two years No diarrhea There is a God

Falsetto yelp, profundo woof, tornado-siren roo Such a panoply of sounds!

Silent dogs, these greyhounds

Egyptian pose Head erect Jackal-ghost somewhere in there

Make a wish: clank or thud or plop or trickle or swish of anything, any thing edible in my dish

Pink leash, pink collar, pink coat Tell the world, “i’m a girl!”

Asleep but twitching, dreaming A yelp: i’m losing my race—help!

Smiling or panting?

Such teeth!

But amber eyes enchanting

She’s got a boyfriend named Frankie But no hormones left for hanky-panky

Starry night, dog by my side Tears in my eyes, odd Is this God?

Even when you doze You’re sniffing poking probing With your needle nose

Yes, yes, cold and snow But look at you You own more coats than I do!

Wife’s home from work Sets down the mail Yelp, then paw-thud . . . propeller tail!

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Long legs, big chest You’re a favorite with the fellas Their wives, you know, are jealous Yelp snort growl Play-bow play-bow play-bow What do you want now?

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