Happy National Poetry Month, Part 3

Happy National Poetry Month, Part 3

                For twenty-one days, I have kept my goal of writing at least one poem a day.  From the eight poems which I have written during the past week, I have selected three to share with you this evening.  Each poem is quite different from the other although my second Leader Dog Heather is a focus of the second poem and is mentioned in the other two poems.  As I noted last Wednesday, Leader Dog Heather became a part of my life on April 15, 1998.

                My first selected poem is a “bio poem” or may be classified as a “bio acrostic” because I use my first and last name as the “stem” of the acrostic poem.  On an e-mail list for writers, I encouraged the other writers to share an acrostic bio so that we could become better acquainted with each other.  A number of writers in the organization did post their acrostic bios which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. 

                My sister, now retired from teaching, enlisted her five grandchildren, her husband, and one daughter-in-law into the writing of bio acrostics.  What fun!  Ranging in age from five to ten, Mary’s grandchildren did a wonderful job of writing bio acrostics –even for the family dogs.  I was quite pleased with the one acrostic written for and about my current Leader Dog Willow.  Why don’t you join the fun and write an acrostic bio or a poem of introduction?  Then, perhaps, you can encourage others to become acrostic poets.  Remember that when you are writing an acrostic, try to have the initial word of each line be a strong word.  In the sample poem below, you will read that I also incorporated alliteration and play-on-words.  Your acrostic bio need not rhyme, but should give the reader a word picture of you.

* * *

The Alice Acrostic Bio

acrostic poem for Day 17 of National Poetry Month by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

Alice authored THE CHRISTMAS CARRIAGE AND OTHER WRITINGS OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON,

Loves walking and living with Leader Dog Willow,

Increases her container garden each year,

Creates with words and verses,

Energizes people about poetry,

Mass-produced a poster to honor her four Leader Dogs,

Almost never misses listening to JEOPARDY and the news,

Savours posting on her WORDWALK blog each week,

States proudly that she is a “Hoosier at Heart,”

Amasses poetry and prose to preserve family history.

* * *

                When I write some poems, I laugh out loud.  When writing others, I smile.  Then, when I write too many poems, like the one I share below, the words are trying to stay afloat midst all the tears.  So, you will find below what is for me, but perhaps not for the reader, a “teardrop poem.”

* * *

An Old Circus Dog:  For Heather, in Heaven

Teardrop poem for Day 19 of National Poetry Month by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

Not upon my pre-retirement nor post-retirement resume

will you find a mention of this point.

You, dear reader of poetry, may decide if it should be there.

When my second Leader Dog Heather was close to age twelve,

her hesitancy about ascending and descending

long flights of stairs

made me realize that at my workplace,

we had to change our routine and

rely on the elevators.

I prayed that she would be able to guide me

through one more month of the spring semester

so that she could “semi-retire” from guiding

and retire after ten years beside me

at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

My Yellow Labrador Retriever

did achieve her decade of work at MATC.

Then, the turn at the back door of our townhouse

and down three steps of the deck became too much of a challenge

for my once-upon-a-time too-strong Lab.

The two required sharp turns complicated her descent.

Alas, I found the perfect ramp for the back stoop:

I just had to convince my aging canine of the perfected new route to her relief area

behind our townhouse.

With the very sturdy ramp in place

and double-checked for stability,

I began the lesson of teaching Heather to use the ramp, instead of the stairs.

With supreme determination,

all the positive praise I could muster

For each tiny step of progress,

I encouraged and encouraged my creamy-colored Lab.

I would not allow myself to envision anything but success:

I knew the successful use of this ramp

was the only way

I could keep Heather throughout her retirement–

the only way we could continue to live at our home,

near my workplace and so many other needs.

Nevertheless, my greatest need was to be able to care

for Heather in her old age.

We had to succeed.  We had to succeed.

Positive praise.  Prayers to Saint Francis.

Finally, Heather descended the ramp!

Hurray!  Estimated time of first descent of the ramp:  forty-five minutes.

Second descent of the ramp: five minutes!

Then, amazingly, more practice brought forth an all-time brief record!

Bring out the checkered flag!

Fortunately, her using the ramp

to return to the back door took much less convincing.

Hurray!  Hurray!

The greatest achievement of my life:

teaching an old guide dog to walk the ramp

like a content and confident circus dog–

an extraordinarily beloved dog

who continued to share life and home with me

and then Leader Dog Zoe for

thirteen more months.

* * *

NOTE:  One of the prompts on my NPM Calendar of Prompts was quite simply to write a poem about a sneeze.  Much to my surprise, last Saturday, I think a world record may have been set for the most poems written and posted on an e-mail list about a SNEEZE!  The prompt was a big success; reading the “sneeze” poems of my fellow writers was enjoyable.  Now, I hope you will enjoy reading my “sneeze” poem.

The Third Sneeze

Poem for Day 14 of NPM by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

Throughout the two decades when I periodically used cabs,

I learned a great deal about cab drivers from a variety of countries.

Yes, I am sure I could write at least a chapbook–

or a cab-book–about my experiences.

Quite a number of years ago,

my guide dog and I tucked into the back of a cab.

After telling the cab driver my destination,

he sneezed.

Pre-COVID days, his sneeze was to me of little importance.

As he drove sufficiently speedily to my workplace,

the cab driver sneezed a second time.

Although I was unalarmed,

the cabbie began to express his worry aloud

and then recited prayers in another language.

The prayers were interspersed with the vocalization

of accented worries in English.

He was truly afraid that

if he sneezed a third time,

he would

die.

I did not fear his dying from a third sneeze:

I feared he would not take me to my requested address.

For him, oh, my, what increasing stress!

Then, the feared phenomenon occurred:

“ka-choo!”

I wondered what in the world he would do;

I knew we were near my destination.

His terror seemed to turn to aggravation.

Somehow, telling him “God bless you”

seemed not a good choice.

“You are fine:  you’ll be fine.”

Still living, the cab driver pulled up to 1036 North Eighth Street;

I gave him the fare and a nice tip.

He paused in his worried, prayerful state to take the cash.

“Thank you.  Take care,” I said;

Then, he sped off to undoubtedly live and sneeze another day.

* * *

Hoping your April snows melt quickly, as did ours today!

Alice and Leader Dog Willow

April 21, 2021, Wednesday