Big Dog

A narrow set of stairs, open on one side,
Goes down into the basement by the washing machine.

When she was little she'd watch me do laundry.
She stood sideways on the stairs, where we were eye-to-eye.

She liked being up there - I'd pet her,
It was bonding, the age-old connection between dogs and people.

Now she's big, she's so big she doesn't fit -
Gravity tries to pull her off the side or to the bottom.

It's hilarious how she contorts herself, putting all paws together,
Dancing and stuttering - trying to be entirely on that one stair tread.

I have to go around, up, and hug her -
"Oh, aren't you something...”

Things are good now; she’s a great dog,
Yet I guess I miss those days too.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2017



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Date: 9/20/2023 9:54:00 AM
Mmm I love tomatoes and peppers! Love to grow them too but never replanted after an unusual freeze. I'm glad you're okay Doug :)
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Date: 12/2/2020 6:23:00 PM
Just saying hi; hope you're well Doug :)
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Doug Vinson
Date: 9/20/2023 9:49:00 AM
Hi FJ. : ) Very late reply here, but all is very well. Retired, living in Georgia, USA, growing lots of peppers and tomatoes.
Date: 4/5/2019 4:00:00 AM
Reading this makes me miss my dog Maxi. Very fond memories of our quiet furry yet gentle friends. ~Phatt
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Date: 11/17/2018 9:34:00 AM
7 up
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Date: 4/16/2018 11:51:00 PM
Doug this brings back memories of the times with my dog. Those funny little moments stay with you forever. Great write Doug. Blessings Carl
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Date: 1/4/2018 5:12:00 PM
A great tribute to your furry friend!
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Doug Vinson
Date: 2/28/2018 6:55:00 AM
Thank you, Gayle. She's positively "middle-aged" now. : P
Date: 9/30/2017 11:42:00 PM
First of all thank you for inspiring my poem and Mono Rhyme. This poem is superb and is with full of literary devices. I thoroughly enjoyed your poem and could connect with certain emotions you put into them I am looking forward for more use from your side. thank you once again
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Doug Vinson
Date: 2/28/2018 6:51:00 AM
Hi Sanket. Things are really cyclic for me; haven't been feeling the need to write lately. The tide will come in again, one day.
Date: 9/20/2017 7:12:00 AM
Excellent write... Hope all is well with you Doug..
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Doug Vinson
Date: 2/28/2018 6:48:00 AM
Silent One. : ) Thanks, man - and yes, all is well.
Date: 9/11/2017 11:36:00 AM
What a nice tribute to our pets. She sounds perfect.
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Doug Vinson
Date: 9/12/2017 10:28:00 AM
Hi Thvia, I appreciate that. : )
Date: 8/19/2017 7:07:00 AM
...popping by to say hello Doug:) I saw your reply to Connie below and wow...what a journey you have been on! No easy feat, I hope you are proud of yourself and enjoying summer. The writing will come; often when we forge a new path it takes a bit for the bones to settle, to feel peace where were at. You are a natural storyteller and I wish you sweet success and laughter every step of the way:)
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Doug Vinson
Date: 8/23/2017 4:27:00 PM
Hi Lynn Marie. Thank you - and you're right, things come when they come. : )
Date: 8/12/2017 4:35:00 PM
Awww...it is kind of like watching your little one grow larger. You miss them being small, yet you enjoy how they have grown as well. A very sweet poem Doug. You have not been posting lately. I hope you are well? : )
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Connie Marcum Wong
Date: 10/6/2018 5:39:00 PM
I am glad to hear you are well. Congrats on losing that amount of weight. I too have lost weight this year. I look forward to reading something new when your muse gets inspired! Aloha, Connie : )
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Doug Vinson
Date: 8/14/2017 8:45:00 AM
Hey Connie. : ) Yeah, just have not been feeling it, as far as writing. Well indeed, and getting better yet - gave up a good bit of my excessive ways and have lost about 50 lbs. On the excess: 45 years of it (since I was a teenager, anyway) started really catching up with this old boy. Ah well, quite a ride while it lasted.
Date: 6/14/2017 9:11:00 AM
Thank you for kindness in Brian's blog...very much...a topic that will gain momentum in yrs to come...you're insight begs a coffee-house discussion! This poem...the reader easily feels a part of this fine prose, continue to cherish moments filled with love, Doug! ...jimmy (I'm 61 today!)
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Doug Vinson
Date: 6/14/2017 1:53:00 PM
Ha! Good deal, Jimmy. Happy Birthday - and it's always good to read your comments on poems and blogs.
Date: 6/12/2017 2:53:00 PM
Doug: I suppose 1/3 of folks love dogs, 1/3 love cats and 1/3 have allergies. :o)I'm one of the dog lovers. When my Sheltie died, I also swore off dogs. It's been about 15 yrs and I still have her dog tag on my key ring. She was a honey. Of course I have several dog rhymes as well. :o) Thanks for sharing this lovely piece with all of us on the soup. Keep them coming. oldbuck
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Doug Vinson
Date: 6/12/2017 7:41:00 PM
Hey Old Buck. : ) Yes, I hear you - quite a few people either swear off having another dog, or go quite a while in-between...
Date: 5/8/2017 10:38:00 AM
You great verses , reminded me of how much I miss my beloved, Midnight.. After Midnight passed away I swore to never get another dog -for me- , and all these years I have kept that oath.. faving this one..
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Doug Vinson
Date: 5/8/2017 3:44:00 PM
Thanks, Robert. And wow - that's heavy...
Date: 5/6/2017 3:24:00 PM
A very dear story.
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Doug Vinson
Date: 5/7/2017 6:23:00 AM
Hi Curtis. Thank you.
Date: 5/3/2017 8:31:00 AM
Beautiful... Made my me smile :)
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Doug Vinson
Date: 5/5/2017 10:20:00 AM
Hi Akkina. : ) Cheers!
Date: 5/2/2017 7:44:00 PM
This makes me miss my dog, Harley! It's quite a special relationship between a man and his dog!
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Doug Vinson
Date: 5/5/2017 10:21:00 AM
So true, Budgie. Sometimes I think that the very disparate life spans are unfair. Yet if dogs lived a lot longer, then perhaps their departure would be truly unbearable.
Date: 4/26/2017 3:52:00 PM
Hahahaha, the dog is so big now and you miss those days when it was little...
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/27/2017 4:18:00 PM
Hi Ogaga. : ) Yes, puppyhood is a good time.
Date: 4/24/2017 2:53:00 PM
There is nothing like the bond between pets and humans. A charming poem. John
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/25/2017 12:13:00 PM
Right on, John. Thank you. : )
Date: 4/23/2017 6:58:00 AM
:) How sweet...memories last a lifetime. Doggies, like humans, are cute at every stage...if they are looked upon with eyes of love.
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/23/2017 6:17:00 PM
Cheers, Eileen. : ) I'm good as long as I don't see a vengeful puppy coming over the horizon.
Date: 4/20/2017 5:43:00 AM
Very nice poem. Creativity in your verse is clearly seen. Good use of gravity!
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/20/2017 11:57:00 AM
Hi Sanket. Thank you. : )
Date: 4/19/2017 3:25:00 PM
Ahhh!! Enjoyed reading your work..I remember when we had Black Lab mixed with a Border Collie(who was a great animal) and my husband would let him get in his lap from the start..One day I walked into the office and there was my husband sitting there with the big black dog hanging across his lap..LOL..Dogs are special..Thanks for dropping by..Sara
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/19/2017 6:17:00 PM
Big dogs as lap dogs are hilarious, Sara. : )
Date: 4/18/2017 8:29:00 AM
Doug, A great write about your best friend! I know the feeling is mutual, My best, chuck
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/18/2017 10:22:00 AM
Thanks, Chuck.
Date: 4/17/2017 1:11:00 PM
hello, doug... got more?.. huggs
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/18/2017 7:35:00 AM
Ha! Hey Nette. : ) I have had some ideas. Yes, defiinitely more - just taking it easy.
Date: 4/17/2017 7:10:00 AM
i'm more of a cat person, myself...in fact one of my nicknames is catwoman lol
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Doug Vinson
Date: 4/17/2017 11:15:00 AM
One of my nicknames is... Oh good grief, can't say such things here. Cheers, Charlotte - cats are good too. Have known many.
123
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