When you call out to me
With your whimpers and your willful whines
Your cries of hopefulness and plea
It is music drifting through the sky
When you cry out
Lonely, abandoned
Missing those who were once there
Filling our dreary world with sapphires and emeralds
With subtle movements
I know your unasked questions
I guide you
As much as you guide me
Apart, we are a willful force
Together, we are accomplished and proud
A team that communicates through silence
Strong, powerful, cunning
That is why
When you run for me, gasping at thin air
Paws only touching the ground for a fleeting moment
Never quite reaching me
As you are swept away by death' s icy fingers
You are truly dazzling
Like a wisp of smoke through the trees
If I Were Human by Sarah Alitz
If I were Human, I'd run non-stop like a clock,
A never ending wheel.
I would swim with the dolphins,
And float till there's no more water.
I would just love to rest in a meadow and feel the spongy
moss rubbing beside my ten toes.
Just listen to the grass sway for days,
If I could.
I'd watch the clouds and imagine mysterious creatures,
Watch them soar in perfect paradise.
If I were human I'd talk and everybody would listen to my adventures.
I'd be the one who never remained calm.
If I were human most of all I'd wonder,
Wonder way beyond the outside.
Being human would be nice,
But being dog is my life.
Millie
by Jade Baccaro-Nicholls
On tests I'd always
Get a C or D
Because I was going so fast
I couldn't see
But you taught me
Slow is gold
Even when
You're getting old
Mille, I know
You're getting there
You have to go
Which is unfair
But you'll always be
My nine year old dog
Even when
You're in that fog
I love you
So much my Millie
You can never be
Too old to be silly
Even though
You're my fostered pup
I love you until
Down meets up
My Blanket-Pulling Pup
by Sally Olson
I am a blanket-pulling pup
I pull her blanket down
And she pulls it right back up
I snatch it and shake it
From side to side
And run around the house
On a tail-wagging ride
I turn around to prance
And do my you-cant-catch-me dance
Then I dart out with a fast pace
In and out rooms we race
Down the stairs like a doggy bullet
She tugs the blanket back but I pull it
Through the kitchen and out the door
It's a long game of tug-of-war!
I finally give up and let her win
She takes it from my panting grin
She puts it down and then...
I snatch it, once again!
 Honorable Mentions (Under 13)
My Boss
by Benjomin Avila
My dog, my wonderful
Beautiful dog
He's made of magic
And made of static
That's why I seem to be stuck to
him
He's small like a rat
Bright like the sun.
He might be small
But his bright cuteness will bring
your attention anywhere.
He is small, he is annoying
He chirps like a bird
But no matter what, he's always
the boss around the house.
My Dog
by Justin Bennett
If I could get a pet,
He could run on a log.
He'd glow from awesome,
And I'd never lose him in a fog.
He'd be bigger than a frog,
But smaller than a log.
He'd eat a lot,
But not like a hog.
I would get my very own,
DOG!
My Fish Jake
by Matthew Cenophat
I'm swimming today, I swam yesterday, and I'll be swimming
tomorrow.
But this is not really a life of sorrow.
Because at least I'm not living the life of a plain old scarecrow.
I'm happy being bored, instead of being on death row.
I'm grateful for what I have.
I get food for free when I am hungry,
While others starve.
Being me is a pretty good deal, I don't have to worry.
I am living like a prince, with everything I need,
But, I am cursed in here: I can never do a good deed.
Bengi
by Dean Hadzovic
I'm a giraffe
But not any ordinary giraffe
I have wings and I'm green
Some people think I'm mean because I'm green
But I'm as kind as Buddha
The gray spots mean I'm brave
I'm more courageous than a lion
So if you see me
Don't run, come see me
Sneaky
by Devin McPeek
If you pet him,
He won't wag his tail.
If you poke him,
He won't growl.
If you talk to him,
He won't lick your face.
Sneaky's very quiet,
He keeps to himself.
He barely ever moves,
And he rarely ever does anything.
I know this is pathetic,
But I have to tell the truth.
You might not believe me,
But Sneaky is my pet rock.
My Fish
by Nydia Morales
Splish
Splash
I swim all day
My orange scales brush against the clear bowl
My owner comes to me whenever she needs to talk
Tink, Tink
She taps my food on the side and sprinkling comes my food
I'm tired at the end but happy with my owner
My Betta fish
by Shivani Patel
How About...
by Monserratt Rodriguez
I have always wanted a room with...
A bed
Some kind of thing to sleep on
Doesn't it sound great
I don't know why I can't have one?
She says it isn't going to end well
And
She says beds aren't for elephants!
Well how about a lamp too
She says my hands are too big
Well how about a closet
She says I have no clothes!
How about a T.V.
Well we can do that
But
It's going to be outside
I said goodbye to my "room"
And
Hello to my T.V.
In Memory Of Max (the most wonderful dog to ever live!)
by Emily Schneider
Max was as tan as the sandy shore only a soft pillow to me,
His eyes were like a dancing fire, and could melt everyone's heart, especially mine,
His tail could sashay in a beautiful way, as if dancing across the ballroom floor,
His whiskers were as sharp and as pointy as sewing needles although I didn't mind,
His heart was one of golden steel, never knocked down, but always built up,
He would forgive you no matter what.
His floopy eyes always twitching, reminded me of one red and one golden butterfly chasing each other,
His midnight colored nose, was as juicy, wet and wonderful as a freshly picked apple.
No one will ever steal his place in my heart.
Robbie Marley
by David Thomas
Robbie is like a flower,
A small seed at first, but then big and strong
He is garden grown goodness
But if you get him mad, you'll regret it
It's like throwing water at a lion
Robbie likes making music with his fellow buddies
Robbie is one of a kind
If you get some music going with him, he'll be your best friend
He is the best fungus to be friends with
Robbie's a true "Buffalo Soldier".
Kibble and Needles
by Sara Torres
My dog is courageous
brave and strong.
He lives in the
wild I
call my home.
He likes to dance and
bark
at the sun.
He sleeps in
the light
of the glowing blue
moon.
His name
is Sam
and he's as
tall as a man.
He likes
to eat kibble
but he
only nibbles.
He has
sheen black spots on
his glowing white fur.
He smiles a lot
and whimpers a little.
He is blind and
impaired with cancerous
fears.
But he doesn't like
needles because the
last needle
he touched took him
away and then we
said Amen and
now he is in the
sky watching over me
and them.
Theodore isn't a Girl
by Caroline Ulm
My food is cold,
This ball is old,
I hate these frilly pink bows.
They make me smell like a rose.
Lacy dresses I must wear.
They always curl my hair.
I never get to play.
I stay in this purse all day.
Everything is tall.
I want to make my crib walls fall.
I wear a diaper on my waist.
The owner of this Yorkie has horrible taste!
Top Winners (13 & Over)
Sleeping in Tongues 
by Ann Drysdale
Three of us breathing; me and dog and cat.
Wakening to a faint and plaintive mew,
I hold my own breath, ascertaining that
The sound comes from one of the other two.
I act upon an educated guess
And lay a hand on cat, who quickly twists
Into a different pose of idleness
And settles, silent. But the sound persists
So dog it is, who wheezes in a dream
That has bestowed on him the gift of tongues
And things both are, and are not, what they seem.
I let the captive air out of my lungs.
Three of us breathing, dog and cat and me;
Companionable synchronicity.
Kittatinny Jake
by Elaine Koplow
The sun has been up for hours,
I sip coffee on the deck, unaware;
In an unguarded moment
Kittatinny Jake gives a furtive glance around
And slips silently under the fence
To join his cadre, a pack of Goldens-
Wild puppies-the oldest about a year
Four little fur balls-
The neighborhood gang of four-
Meet as by prearrangement
By an abandoned garbage can at #12.
They lick each other's noses, sniff parts,
And take off,
Unleashed, unfettered, and unfenced
Dashing up the hill,
They shrug off shrubbery and graze on greenery,
Terrorize mailmen and children waiting for the school bus,
Send cats into cardiac arrest--
Sniffing their way around the comer,
Sounding their barbaric yips in voices not deepened yet,
Sure-footed, they head into the woods, ears dancing in unison
A gaggle of Goldens, let loose upon the world,
Launching themselves over logs,
Foraging on deer droppings and pizza crusts,
Flighting-up a flock of turkeys,
And chasing chipmunks into holes;
Squirrels dive for cover or scamper up trees,
Pack their nuts and head south-
Legs spinning madly, getting into high gear,
A peloton of puppies, nosing into the unknown,
All of it a profound mystery
With Kittatinny Jake in the lead,
They bore through briars and bound over boulders,
Pouncing into puddles;
Along Jake's side comes Roscoe Jones,
Growling softly, nudging Jake's shoulder;
There is a low muttering back and forth.
Could this be an alpha dog challenge?
A bid for takeover of the pack?
Roscoe has two pounds on Jake,
And a smile that would melt a dog catcher's resolve.
But Jake is fast and quickly maneuvers away,
A sharp feint to the left, and he darts through the swamp,
Scattering pools of sunlight,
Suddenly awash with sky--
Splashing his way back to the lead
Suddenly a doe and a fawn
Cut right across their path;
Without hesitation,
The posse is unified as one now,
In hot pursuit of live prey;
They advance at full speed,
Tails chasing tails,
With a primordial yip--
Defying identification,
Awesome in its eeriness--
Continue some twenty feet and collapse in a heap:
A golden pile of paws, noses, tails-
All one--
Until the licking and stumbling sorts itself out-
A snout for every tail, four furry paws apiece
Gradually they upright themselves,
And slowly set off again,
Sauntering back to civilization,
Trotting in formation, a whirlwind of wagging.
The whole proud peleton approaches boldly;
Covered with burrs, mud, and
Every imaginable manner of muck
They circle the perimeter of my yard now--
Like the last lap of the Tour de Fence,
Kittatinny Jake cautiously loosens the links
Only he knows about,
Slides back into the yard,
And stretches out luxuriously in the soft grass
Basking in the warmth of the sunlight,
Giving a contented thump of his tail
Snowbound with the Dog
by Elaine Koplow
Snowbound with the dog, I reflect upon my life:
The parts I lived and those I didn't get to
My gaze goes continually to the window
Where flakes, like feathers, soft and pillowy,
But bigger than golf balls, are falling,
Aiming straight for my freshly plowed driveway
Weather-dot-com can no longer be accessed
And the radio has gone from watch to warning
To snow emergency, blizzard conditions,
Incalculable accumulations,
Drifts and winds-gales gusting to 30 miles per hour-
Freezing rain is in there somewhere, too
Two glasses of wine into it, though, I no longer care;
It's me and the dog-
Against the world if need be.
I calculate we can hold out for 19 days;
After that we flip a biscuit
And go the way of the Donner Party
Throwing another log on the fire,
I look back on the past
And cannot help but wonder
Where the years have gone.
Perhaps they were ":Measured out with coffee spoons,":
I cannot say. I shrug and turn to the dog;
He shrugs,
He is given less and less
To philosophy these days,
Keeping his eyes keenly on the peanuts we are sharing;
He watches my every movement-
I am certain he is counting-
I do not give him wine
I tell him about my life before I met him;
Most of it he has heard before:
Where I grew up, went to school;
We talk a little about his former father,
But it's mostly about my family
And how I heard at a very young age
That the worst tragedy that could befall a person
Was to lose a child,
So that's why I never had kids,
I explain to him
But that did not inure me from loss-
Nothing does, I tell him,
Offering him the last peanut,
And stroking his red-brown fur,
Because there is always something to love
Honorable Mentions (13 & Over)
Ode to a Speed Bump!
by Nicole Andes
There's a speed bump in my kitchen,
It's very big and round.
There's a speed bump in my kitchen,
That might weigh 200 pounds!
The speed bump in my kitchen,
Has a very scary name.
The speed bump in my kitchen,
Will never ever cause you pain!
The speed bump in my kitchen,
Has fur of white and gold.
The speed bump in my kitchen,
Acts like he's 100 years old
The speed bump in my kitchen
Is like a best friend.
The speed bump in my kitchen,
I will love until the end!
Portrait of Man With Cat
by Ellen Bihler
"God, you're ugly."
He says it like a lover.
Her good eye adores
my husband's myopic ones.
He no longer sees the tumor-ridden eye,
though he wipes at a crust
of dried blood.
It is less possible to ignore her bones.
The notches of spine rise up
like a row of stones
declaring their granite truths -
'lived', 'died', 'loved', 'beloved'.
He pets her with a tool small enough
to find the soft places between ribs;
his one finger.
He's known the 'how' of it for over a year,
but not the 'when'.
Anyone can see the 'soon' of it.
Wheezing, she ascends
the deep grade of the couch,
scales the summit of his ample belly;
has done so nightly for half her life -
the only half he knows anything about.
Once settled, she purrs
in harmony with his breathing.
Untitled
by Amber Cavaluzzo
Laying there lazily
Squinting through the rain splattered window
A quick lick of the paw
A flick of the tail
A yawn
A sudden movement
A tensed pose
A leap
Miss!
A pounce!
A mouse
Lunch.
Lilly
by Victoria Demeola
My dearest Lilly,
You are so silly.
You squawk and bawk,
And you flap and tap.
You're as soft as a cat,
But you act like a brat.
When you peck,
You wreck.
Your feathers are blindingly white,
When you try and take flight.
Scrawny legs,
Shake as you lay eggs.
You constantly butt your head,
Against the big red shed.
You might be crazy in the day,
But I love you anyway!
the other mrs smith
by timothy gibbon
the other mrs smith
lay her head on the pillow
meant for me
i have pictures to prove it
cheek by whiskery jowl
on a cold night
fumbling at the bottom of the bed
even i heard her jump to the floor
the morning after the night mr smith
gave our bed to the guest
other than that
mr smith could not leave her alone
taken everywhere
to be admired red hair silky
in the sun on her ears
flying out the window
as he drove
it was i washed her sheets
lugged her bedding to air
cried when she stumbled over a cliff
that was the day we went
for mercy
we have been kinder to each other since
A BEASTLY FEAST FROM A BIRD THAT TWEETS
by Robbie Holland
He stalks the chipmunk, waiting to attack,
Pouncing on the small, brown beast, making it a snack
His eyes, how they grow, like a flower in the sun,
He pounces and kills, and then he is done.
Then he comes back to home, falls asleep on the bed,
Stretched out like a string, he looks like he's dead.
Then once he's done napping, he gets up and eats,
And the strangest thing of all, my cat, yes he tweets!
When he purrs so loud, he sounds like pigeon,
And why he is eating, he leaves far from a smidgeon.
And that is the story, of my cat, the beast,
He will run, he will hide, but come back for his feast.
Familiar
by Patricia Jones
Sir Thomas, an orange tabby
left in a ditch as a kitten, adopted
but feral, made it clear early on
he'd prefer to hide,
live in the garage, free it of mice
without the dysfunction of humans,
a neurotic dog and that other cat
until the autumn Sunday
our youngest son died and he moved
inside, still shy, but close by.
Mischief the Thief of Plastic Lemons
by Michael McKay
You! You who sleep eighteen hours daily
I love you more than that gray mass of fur
Even through all your thefts of the lemons, sink plugs
And other items of use that sit within your reach
You! You who smell of years old smelling landmines
I accept you despite the fact that you continue to take my lemons
My socks you lay in when the grey fur ballIet's you out of your cage
I love you so that I won't mind if you hide them for a week or two
You! You who seems to think a cat is your brother
And sweet peas are a feast
You who find plastic lemons a delicacy
And find the need to hide everything behind the TV
You! You whom is now gone
You who still pulls the same thefts
Stay lively old friend
In hopes we meet again
A Crazy Tail
by Ben Pami
In the deep and dark
of the unknown
Lurks a creature
Like a wolf shrunk to size
The one to kill the flock
The one that will get angry
If you cross into its land
This one will try to kill you
So beware
Anyone
Who spies him is lucky
Another day they stay
Bound to this earth
Hunted by the predator
The prey
He may be fat and short
He may be tall and wise
But if you come too near it
You will meet your demise
So take this as a warning
And listen very hard
Never bother with the cat
that lives in my back yard
Pet Miracles
by Michelle Prizzi
A wet nose upon my skin,
As whiskers tickle my face,
Two large black eyes stare at me,
My fears vanish without a trace.
I smile and begin to laugh,
As he lets out a soft, soulful sigh,
He's been working like a dog,
His head collapses on my thigh.
Always happy to see me,
He licks my hand,
My worries wash away
Just like sand
Barking at the UPS man,
He runs down the hall,
Toy in his mouth,
He sounds like a Neanderthal.
As the truck continues down the street,
I hear claws click on the floor,
He realizes he forgot something,
And I see his head peer around the door.
He drops his toy at my feet,
And jumps on my bed,
He nuzzles his snout under my hand,
And I begin to pet his head.
Some people say,
Love travels in circles,
But I think it starts with,
Ordinary pet miracles.
The Dog Next Door
by Susanna Rich
her barking is a leash
that walks us
through the neighborhood
as if we were animals
to anchor
to her spread of dust
under the pear tree
she winds herself around
the bowl of water
she can not reach
we call her the rug
for the brown shag
that buries her eyes and tongue
and for her lying there
in sun rain dark
her grief tethers us to her
and so to the house
she cannot live in
or leave
her stiff barks
warning those
who might come
with food or hands
vying
with the one
who brings her daily
change of bowl
the pat
the command
to still her needs
Rebecca and my Puss'cat: Just When I Think I Have No Children
by Susanna Rich
Little neighbor Rebecca is all nose-
and-palms moist against her bedroom window.
She's searching my afternoon window
that mirrors her face and curtains.
Lips suctioned to the glass, teeth pearling between,
she's bubbling her puss puss puss puss
as I lift my puss'cat onto the sill for her.
He prints-prints the glass with his moist
nose and paws, and purrs for the little fish
flapping her fins across the way.
Rocky's Poem
by Jennifer Russ
Whisker twitch,
Hunch, quick,
Ear-flip.
Jump/trip/tumble/flinch - FREEZE.
Tail-flick!
Paw-lick.
Tongue-unfurl,
Lip-curl,
Y-a-w-n.
Side-sprawl on the chipped-paint sill,
Drowsy squint.
rumblerumblerumble
(blink).
Knead
And knead
Through sun-spot dreams.
My Days
by Kirsten Scudder
I wake up every morning and we go for a walk
The bright sun hits me like a bullet being shot
My brown fur is grass in the sun all day,
Warm and soft, comfortable to lie upon
My brothers black fur shines along side me, as my mother walks us around
Our tails are wagging wildly with wonder,
As we search for new experiences
We bark and trot down the street, maybe finding other dogs to meet
We return home wanting more sleep
My brother and I sleep and eat all day long; we love our family and know this is where we belong.
My Loving Psychopathic Cat
by Zachary Thiel
I picked him off the street,
I got him to his feet.
I got him home.
And right off the bat, he terrorized my dog.
He is a ninja in the darkness of the night.
Sneaking around like a shadow in the dark.
I hear a candle smash on the hardwood.
And he's at the scene.
When I wake up that morning,
I smell the burning of the stove.
I see him fleeing from the crime scene.
Rolling as he dove.
I go to use my laptop,
No signal,
Oh, I wonder why?
My cat is Why-fi
I have no-fi.
But when he snuggles up,
I forget all he has done.
He is my best friend,
And we always have fun.
I love you my loving psychopathic cat!
BARKS thanks everyone who made this contest a success!
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