constructing poetry

Ebony

the young jumped,
vibrating with yipping pleasure
that surpassed all magnitude
of pleasure I’d ever seen in an animal
that someone had come
to see them.
I was quiet,
waiting to see which one
would be mine.
they were mutts, the grown-ups said.
their mother a full bred
Golden Retriever,
their father mostly
a black Labrador, but I didn’t
care about that.
they were beautiful, with black, shiny coats
and wagging tails.
there was a little quiet one in the corner
that drew my eye,
but as I crouched,
my hand outstretched,
an impatient monster came up
to nose my hand,
and I knew:
that was the one.
the grown-ups were hesitant—
this one was the biggest and smartest
and would grow faster than I
could keep up, until, one day,
a few years down the road,
I would be dragged across gravel,
my belly torn and bleeding
while an apologetic tongue
tried to lick it better,
but that was later.
now, I gathered the squirming bundle
in my arms,
and we went home, together.

line count: 38

Prompt ▼

Prompt for: Feb 2 (Fyn)
Subject or Theme: Year of the Dog --Write about your favorite dog or your current dog, or one you had as a kid or one you'd like to have, or a neighbor's dog. One you had contact with. NOT some famous dog. (that might be part of another prompt!
Word(s) to Include: NAME of the dog as the title -JUST THE NAME!. type of dog, monster, vibrate, magnitude (or any derivatives of these words)
Forbidden Word(s): dog, canine, puppy, kid, baby, child, she, he, (or any derivatives of these words)
Additional Parameters: NON-RHYMING, free verse. No 'forms.' At least 24 lines long.
Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description.