Seeing as I recently found out that it’s National Poetry Month (thanks Holly!), I’d like to challenge you, dear readers. I’m not even a huge fan of poetry myself but I do firmly believe that poetry is like music (or even blogging): you won’t like every artist and of those you do like, you won’t like every track, but there’s something out there for everyone.
No, I won’t be posting poems every day (although I stand by my decision to post the last one). And no, I won’t make you read/analyze/or otherwise consume straight-up poetry. Instead, I’d like to take the intimidation factor out of poetic language.
But how?? Let me show you through bloggers that you’re already reading and enjoying (if you’re not, you should be). Without further delay, welcome to the first ever Handpicked-Without-Telling-You-NOR-Blogger-Carnival!
Subtlety in conveying emotion from Speak On It:
Every time, we end up sharing a bed. I wonder if he realizes I have a hard time breathing when his hand grazes my back or his leg finds itself wound up in my own.I wonder if he knows how much I smiled when he wrapped his fingers around mine, guiding me up the staircase so I wouldn’t fall. It was the light squeeze he gave, right before we let go, that really did it.
I wonder if he knows that I look him in the eyes as often as possible, because I want to memorize them better than anything else. Yet, when conversation starts to veer a bit, I have to look away.
I’m afraid he might see what I’m feeling.
My eyes, like his, are a dead give away for what’s going on inside our heads.
Controlling pace, timing and emphasis from Surviving Myself:
We had drinks at a rooftop bar near my office. I actually drank wine because I was with a Beautiful Woman, which made me feel better about drinking something Not So Manly.
On our way out to go to dinner, a guy who we had to squeeze by, looked me up and down and said, “Where are you going???â€
I ignored him and kept walking.
As we headed down the steps, Ari told me, “That guy loved you!â€
She then told me that as we passed he checked out my ass and said, “Don’t leave!â€
This kind of thing happens to me all the time.
Men like me.
They really do.
Getting readers thinking without telling them what to think from Stylish Handwriting:
There was a framed needlepoint note hanging on the burgundy wall of the bathroom at the restaurant we ate at last night.
Its final line was the one that struck me as I was waiting in line.
“Love is the answer, no matter what the question is.â€
Painting a picture from Half Deserted Streets:
I know the exact moment when I realized that I loved him. We were in a pizzaria in Gainesville, waiting for our food. My hands were in front of me on the table and I was carelessly tearing apart a napkin. We were talking about something far from monumental, the weather, a film, a book, and I was sucked into our conversation. The waitress came by with our food and I jumped. So absorbed in the moment, I never realized that the pizzaria was crowded, that a stereo was playing some 80′s songs and that this waitress was asking us questions.
This just had to be included from Coming Home:
The hatred I felt was like a sieve, sucking me inward, breaking me apart, piece by piece, so that when I fell with a thud in my own personal hell, my scattered parts were so far gone that I could not be put back together so easily.
Remember, get your pieces published by submitting them to the All Rights Reserved Literary Journal. You folks have got more talent than you realize.
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
A lot of these would go for Lucy, too, minus the fact that she’s a lot bigger than your dauschunds. *shrugs* Especially the point about the stilettos — I don’t want to introduce her to anything like that because my shoes are sacred…
Awww they sound so obnoxiously cute!!!!
Hey did you read about how some lady’s dachshund ate her toe off while she was sleeping? True story!
My cats will never be office cats…they fall alseep on the job…oh wait, actually they might fit right in!
Ben: I have a cross between a Jack Russel and a Fox Terrier. I think I’m going to post about her today… maybe. We’ll see. I don’t like people to see me gushy because it negates my badassedness, ya know. But she’s so cute I squeeze her until she bites me. But she’s just playing… I think.
And I spelt steal like steel. Bother.
EssentiallyMe: Ones that occasionally squirt out liquids…you know…for life-likeness.
Mandy: Hahaha mine are the same but just smaller and therefore more manageable.
Bayjb: Yeah…that’s a Calvin representation of me on a daily basis.
Katelin: I’m still working on getting a video of Theo trying to lug around my laptop bag as if he’s completely determined to get to work.
Maxie: Done. Pick them up tomorrow. Bring food.
um those dogs can LIVE at my office. adorable!
seriously they are just so cute. and apparently quite helpful in the office, haha.
That is absolutely adorable!!! Seriously. Adorable. I love the picture of your dog near the computer, he looks stressed by the sight of all the e-mail.
Awwwww, they are sooo cute! I wish I could take my dog to the office. Shes an 85lb Golden who thinks its everyone’s responsibility to give into her every whim (I may or may not have spoiled her rotten). If they dont, she cries very loudly.
Perhaps you should settle for framed photos then?
I’m laughing so hard because you have so perfectly described my dogs. They so *want* to be good dogs but can only put on the front for so long before they become the needy attention freaks.
I LOVE it! I want a puppeh! They are so freaking adorable Ben, too bad they don’t maker the perfect office-mates
My bf works at a dog friendly office so on any given day there’s about 2-4 dogs there and he said the conference calls are the worst because once one dog starts barking they all start and it’s impossible to get anything done. I’m still incredibly jealous though – I would LOVE to have dogs at work with me.
*stalking ben*
Hilarious! I’ve often thought my mutt would make a great office companion. She could care less about other people and would follow me everywhere. Unfortunately, my building doesn’t allow dogs. Boo! Because our dog-walking budgets aren’t big enough to support this habit!
All I can think about Theo vs.
Co-worker’s stillettos is that
co-worker’s stillettos likely look like TREES to Theo… therefore, my money is on Theo!
(And the biological warfare comment made me giggle so much that MY co-workers started to look at me funny)
#9 made me laugh out loud. My mom has a pug and it’s the same way. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be another dog outside, a branch, a car… anything that may not have been in that same EXACT position a second earlier, deserves a bark.
If you are ever in Alberta and need someone to watch your dogs while you swim in Lake Louise or attempt to herd cattle, I will watch them. Because they are adorable.
Man I want a guard daschund.
Oh those don’t exist?
nevermind.
” THAT STRANGE CAT IS TRYING TO KILL ME!”
Hahahahaaaaa! Sounds like the most awesome day at the office EVER!!
I used to work in an office with two crazy, barking 80lb Giant Schnauzers. After they bit the mailman and the cops came, my boss kept them sedated, so they’d just stagger around, drooling on clients and falling asleep in the conference room. I was always dragging unconscious dogs around that office. So really…my life hasn’t changed that much.
I love your wieners!!! I want to take them home and snuggle them. The two dachshunds by my house are the long haired ones and not nearly as adorable as your dogs. It’s a good thing you don’t live by me because I would steal them they’re so cute.
You should have got him one of those hotdog costumes for the occasions. Seriously.
Hahahaha! My dog would piddle on EVERYTHING if i brought him. And then lick it up. He’s classy like that.
lol…freaking awesome.
I can’t believe you even attempted that…
Your dogs make my day that much better.
I think my cats would do just fine here. At least they’d lay on my feet and keep me warm.
I wrote about seven years ago today, too.
doggy daycare = best thing ever
when stella comes home from doggy daycare, she sleeps for 72 hours straight
I love it
So precious! I used to take Adley to work with me on occasion, but I would keep the door closed. I did HR so we would joke that he was the therapy dog–he was immensely popular. That didn’t stop him from freaking out whenever I tried to leave. Oh, and the poop in the hall? Not so good.
I could see Calvin going for the attention, too. From that incredible thumbs up video, he got up and wagged his tail like he wished you had used HIM to Pokemon attack the newf.
I would love to take a dog to work with me. It’d be ideal because I walk around a lot, but sometimes I have to sit and work for three hours with only a small break half-way through, so that might be kinda rough since I don’t officially have an office.
Alice would never be able to pull it off either. Some dogs are just meant to be day care kids. Or latch key kids like my Alice.
I’m still trying to find that video for you. My stupid husband stored it somewhere and now he can’t find it!
MEN!
I freaking LOVE your puppies! Will you bring them w/you to the meet up?!?!
PAALEAAAZE
your pups melt my heart. they can both sit on my lap all day long
Point number 9 is hilarious because I can totally picture it.
Perfect gentlemen, of course.
LOL this is great. Try working from home when your dog’s inner monologue sounds something like:
“hi mom, whatcha doing? can you teach me graphic design, I’ll sit here, on your lap, what you need that hand, but I want to rest my head on it, cool ok, wait, I heard the cat, let me down, nope, false alarm, let me up, is that the mailman, nope, false alarm, let me up, I want a snack, no I want my ball, no I want my bunny, throw me the bunny, why aren’t you throwing me the bunny, here, I’ll put it in your hand, you throw it, are you on the phone? I think I heard a pack of wild goats, yes, yes, wild goats, must bark at them, GOATS, GOATS, GOATS!”
Next time you feel the urget to take in some dogs to the office, please feel free to borrow mine.
He’s a small St. Bernard. Only 140 pounds. I believe the word that best describes him is “Cujo”.
hehehe….”Oh I piddled” that was too cute!
Awww! So cute! Love dogs. Wish I could have one myself but my stupid apartment building doesn’t allow it. I need to move.
Those pictures are adorable! I love the one where he needs caffeine. You can bring your dachshunds to my office any day.
My dog does the whole thing with a window too. It can like see a dog a mile away out the window and it’s barking and going all kinds of crazy!
I WANT A WIENER ARMY!! I really do….I have adopted dogs (shhh, don’t tell them, they don’t KNOW they aren’t biologically ours), so they are mixes (again, shhh, they think they are purebread princes), and one has Chihuahua/terrier and the other is DEFINETLY MIN-PIN, and they SAID chihuahua, but I don’t see Chi in the 2nd one.
I have a deep love for chihuahua and dachshund doggies. My husband wants a Dachshund so much, but the two we have (plus the cat) are more than enough.
Their Auntie Jasmine will visit them today, and if I can, I’ll get PICTURES of what 3 dogs does to our tiny little house.