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September 28, 2017

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Photography, Poetry

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Pet Wild

IMG_7394

I have the smallest pets.
I don’t keep them in a cage.

I let oregano waves crash
against a rocky shore of thyme and sage,
and, in the white flower-foam,
my wild pets gather and buzz.

They don’t eat seeds like parakeets
or kibbles like cats and dogs
or cicadas like chinchillas.

Instead they need the fine
powder that coats their tiny feet.

They harvest it all day
on white flowers, metallic-pink bells,
yellow sunflowers and common clover.

I leave them be.
They know just how to bee.

I don’t own them,
because you can’t own a wild thing.
But I care for them
every time I deadhead, prune,
plant and water.

Copyright 2017 Brenda Davis Harsham

Poetry Friday Heron

Notes: Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids for hosting. Special thanks to Michelle Barnes who gave me Pet Crazy, a Poetry Friday Power Book by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, Pomelo Books, 2017. In it is a delightful poem by Eileen Spinelli, How to Love Your Little Corner of the World. You can see kids bringing it to life here:

Looking over Pet Crazy made me think about my allergies, my sad, pet-free-but-healthy existence, and I realized I am surrounded by pets. Wild ones: caterpillars, dragonflies, bees, bluejays, cardinals. My life is full of color and sound, even though I never have to clean a cage or suffer bronchitis. They hibernate all winter, just like bears. Speaking of bears, I wrote another poem in honor of Pet Crazy, an acrostic (why not try one?):

About My Bear

Franklin’s fuzzy ears and
Round eyes gaze
At mine, as if
Nothing matters but me. He
Knows when I need a hug,
Listens, hears and heals me,
Inside, where it counts. He’s
Not a pet, he’s my truest friend.

72 thoughts on “Pet Wild”

  1. Pingback: A Book by the Brook – Cricket in the Thicket | Friendly Fairy Tales | Ace Friends & Bloggers News

  13. Brenda, I salute your poem on bees. They are fascinating creatures. While I am allergic to insect bites, I am fascinated by the bees buzz in my flowers. Thursday, I stood in silence watching a plump bee move in and out of my garden. Quietly, I photographed it. Now, I have your inspired poem to spur me to write.

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  25. Our bees are dwindling, readying for their hiatus here, but I love the idea that they are my pets. I spend a lot of time watching them in my garden. Your picture and the poem are wonderful, Brenda. Busy bees that stay to work in my garden make me happy all spring and summer long.

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    • Linda, no doubt they are aware of you and appreciate your care of your garden. I wonder if the buzzing dance of bees, as they relate directions to the best flowers in the hive, also has a haiku of appreciate for weather, gardening and humor. I like to think so.

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  26. Your post made me happy today — so full of goodness. Love both your poems. I can totally relate to having wild, outdoor “yard pets,” and of course Franklin sounds like the best (maybe he and Cornelius are cousins)! Enjoyed the sweet video too. 🙂

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