Spring 2014: Poem 3 Rough Draft

Assignment: write a poem about love or death that excludes the contents of a long list of words that would lead towards cliches or make the poem easier. Here's the first draft of what I wrote. (This one is getting formal comments only from the instructor and not the class.)

The Price for a Living Mirror

At the shelter from open to close

$150 adoption fee

$155 to the US Dog Registry

More than $200 to Petsmart:

2 collars

2 leashes

2 sweaters

Booties

Bowls

Food

Treats

Toys

Shampoo- for “super sensitive skin” just in case

Pet stain spray

Nail clippers

A crate

A carrier

A name tag: Frankie after Frankie Manning

Student loans

Ouch

Picking up poop with used grocery bags before breakfast

Biking a mile back from campus between classes for a potty break

Scrubbing drool or possibly pee from the sheets

Going for walks instead of watching Doctor Who

Teaching people play manners: no biting now- uh uh uh

Putting the plushy black poodle and loon on a high shelf

Spending the first week or two smelling like a dog shelter

So worth it