Shaggy Dog Story Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

Premium Member Review Aug 27

A poetized 'shaggy dog story' of the universal relationship of faithfulness & sadness of eternal separation.. suddenly realised & put into words as an epitaph in shapeless irregular lines .

Shaggy Dog Story

Friends, humans, country bumpkins,
bend me your ears;
'tis too true a tale
I tell thee here...
Once upon a time,
knew a girl who owned a mutt
but she did exclaim,
'It's the cutest pup you ever did see,'
all the same, it seems to be
asinine to give a dog a bad name
but it's not the worst
her canine could receive,
it wasn't cursed
when she called her pooch,
my pet 'Peeve'.

Premium Member A Brief Shaggy Dog Story that actually Ends

   A shaggy dog espied a graceful cat
     She arched her back, he fell flat
   on his jowls, she pivoted - nose up
     His paws akimbo, Shaggy arfed
         Wait, dear cat, I can explain that  

   But Graceful didn't miss a stride
     After all, she had her pride
   Who needs a mangy mutt who falls
     she thought, a dame like me must be bought

   Now Shaggy may be clumsy, but he's not deaf
     He heard Graceful mewing under her breath
   She loves me sure, Shaggy felt
     His tender heart, her icy exterior would melt

   So Shaggy scrambled after her, closing in fast
     When he drew close, she turned around at last
   It was then that he saw Graceful's face up close
     "Adios," he cried
                       ~ Her whiskers were caespitose


Premium Member Doggone

I‘d been staying with pa - my folks got a divorce
and pa took me to the local greyhound course 
Pa’s greyhound was running, he runs very fast
He’s called Pterodactyl, pa’s dog never comes last!

I stayed in the stalls, it was pouring with rain
and our ‘Terry’ was  winning again and again
I’d an essay to write on Catherine of Aragon
So I worked studiously while the racing was on

At the end of the racing my essay’s all done
Pa comes to fetch me saying come along son 
The mutt is so hungry and wants to be fed
it chews up my homework - I wish it was dead!

I’m hopping with rage, I’m crying out loud
there’s such a commotion I draw quite a crowd
I’ve no time to re write it so I know my fate
I'll get a detention, homework cannot be late

My strict history teacher is called Mister Gorey
and he will not believe my shaggy dog story
But my story is true, yes it’s totally factual -
my homework WAS eaten by our flaming Pterodactyl

*  A shaggy-dog story a long joke that has an intentionally silly or meaningless ending

My homework was eaten by a flaming Pterodactyl

Sponsored by John Lawless

01/20/21

Shaggy Dog Story

My Celtic Grandfather bred Irish Wolf Hounds.
He was a stern man, as inflexible as stone,
a hard Ulsterman
wed to a soft Erin woman.

“Never let yourself be alone with the hounds,”
he warned.

Yet I went;
I stole into the garden on an evening
when the sun was falling asleep.

The giant hounds gathered round me
Growling,
then they hunkered down
and discussed among themselves
what to do with me.

The largest of the dogs
told me about the blood wars
and all the ‘troubles’ of this sad land.
I did not understand much of it
but felt the fierceness of his heart.

They found me curled
with the great shaggy beasts
and the only one they would let retrieve me
was my disgraced mother.

Later that day we took the ferry to Liverpool,
then the train to London
where the dogs did not talk,

but where humans often whispered:
“unwanted.”

~~~~

Premium Member Irrelevance


Irrelevance 
Written: by Miracle man
5/24/2020

The Media gives us daily, a “shaggy dog” story,
about Corona virus while reporting with flair.
Conflicting opinions, paint some details gory,
 the picture is always one of gloom and despair.

Never encouraging, when you’re sequestered,
and into the past your mind often dwells.
Hours each day feeling you’re being pestered,
unpleasant news, but then, that’s what sells.


Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.

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