Open Mike "Poetry"

On Tuesday evening I went to hear my friend Doug Livingston (Sr.) read his poetry at the NOWW gathering at the library.

They asked for poems for the open mike times as well (max. one per reader).

So I read this postcard story -- poetically:

Doggie fetched the cloth things. "Good Doggie."

Doggie wished Mannie knew his name. The cloth things had names: Skipper and Chipper. "Fetch Skipper and Chipper, Doggie." Mannie would say and, once Doggie had done so, Mannie would put Skipper and Chipper on his feet and pat Doggie on the head, "Good Doggie".

The white box which Mannie used to make his food hot was named "Jove". The other white box which Mannie used to make his food cold he called "Midge". And Mannie ate his food off Kate while she sat on Mabel.

But Doggie was "Doggie" and he knew that that wasn't a real name. So he called Mannie "Mannie" in his head. He thought Mannie did have a real name, Alegs or something like that, which he used while talking through Joan. "Hi, this is Alegs."

But there was never anyone else in the apartment and so Doggie heard this name infrequently and wasn't sure he had it right. Mannie used Joan very little and usually seemed unhappy after he had. He would sit in Cher and hold Doggie on his lap. Together they would watch Stevie late into the night.

-- Richard Pepper

I received some positive comments, and so I may enter it into their contest.

The wife of one the other readers had been a Dorion Bible Camp-er and now teaches voice and piano. She stayed behind to say nice things about the music at Dorion, and said she regretted missing my "poem". So I gave it to her.