Tuesday poem: The paisley pitbull
December 11, 2024
Each bark is Mozart sweet. Silver flutes
are nothing to the improvised flow
of furry sax buried in soft-toffee bay.
His teeth are crochet hooks. Bites bloom
into perennial tattoos, scars in winter
flutter into hollyhocks come spring.
The cat and the kid eat from his bowl,
sip his milk and crunch his kibble,
and the robin plucks hairs for her nest.
He turns three times three before rest,
and apostrophic patterns erupt
as the canine chameleon settles.
Nightbulls may gore; Pamplonas
still run through his veins,
ghost-genes there in blood’s bottle.
But paisley outs. Stretching into dawn,
he shakes off hard history like dew,
and noses, bee-soft, into day.
PS Cottier
This is an old poem, which first appeared in my chapbook Quick bright things: Poems of fantasy and myth (Ginninderra Press, 2016). The dog in the picture was only six back then; now she’s nearer to fifteen.
The poem touches on myths about pitbulls, which can be as affectionate and gentle as any other breed of dog.
PS Cottier 
Now, this sweet one looks like an English Staffordshore cross to me. Lovely poem and well observed. I pray your loving, animal companion has lots more happy, healthy time with you. Duke was 15 1/2 when he went to the Spirit. He still visits.. Here is a very ‘ruff’ first draft of a poem I am still working on – because as honest pet parents we know they visit. All the best. Ms Maria Koukouvas (Vouis) BA Psych / Eng; BEd Secondary; Grad Dip Creative Writing; Cert IV Music MOBILE: 0407 354 784 Publications:* Mimesis, Friendly Street Anthology 48, eds Maria Koukouvas & Rob Ferris, Two Tongue World – the Diaspora Dialogues, ICOE Press; Woman is the Cow of the World – *Newcastle Poetry Prize, *Arachne’s Thread – The Victorian Writer; Chicken Bones* – Cordite Poetry Review, All The Seasons in Your Face – Canberra Times
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