Day 10 When the Next-door Neighbours Bought a Pomeranian (in 2016)

Thanks to Na/GloPoWriMo for another great prompt and an introduction to another great poem.:

“Yesterday, we looked at a poem that used sound in a very particular way, to create a slow and mysterious feeling. Mark Bibbins’ poem, “At the End of the Endless Decade,” uses sound very differently, with less eeriness and more wordplay. Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem that, like Bibbins’, uses alliteration and punning. See if you can’t work in references to at least one word you have trouble spelling, and one that you’ve never quite been able to perfectly remember the meaning of.”

When the Next-door Neighbours Bought a Pomeranian

We respected their right to choose, but it sure was yappy. Our neighbours were friendly enough, but our kids realised some of our house rules didn’t apply in theirs. The catalogue of differences accumulated.

If our kids were practising and kicked the football over the fence, they knew they had to labour up the centre sidewalk, ring the doorbell and ask an adult, not Junior, if they could retrieve the prodigal ball.

After they saw the Pomeranian bite Junior, they didn’t want to play over there anymore.

I suggested they invite Junior to our house (leave the dog on the other side of the fence) or, “you’ll just have to play with the other kids in the neighbourhood.”

About this Poem: 

It seems risky but I’ll let you in on my thought process:

I misspelled Juniour as in Junior High for at least 20 years. Apparently, what I thought was the Canadian spelling - Juniour - is “obsolete and archaic.”

Prodigal – I persisted in my misunderstanding using it in this poem as something that left or ran away, rather than spending foolishly/recklessly/wastefully.

Today I did not want to meditate on being obsolete and archaic.

Instead, I thought I’d try an allegory. No offence intended.