Thank you to Elaine at Wild Rose Reader for hosting this week’s Poetry Friday round-up. I am pleased to be participating again after my debut last week. Thank you all for the kind comments.
This event is a great motivator to finally finish some poems that I’ve had hanging around for years. Here is another original poem that I just finished the other day. Enjoy the poem, and stick around for the bonus activity!
Worst in Show
by Ed DeCaria
No dog on earth is sicker than my good ol’ buddy Bricker.
Compared to me, his cloud of fleas is infinitely thicker.
His greasy coat is gross to pet; it couldn’t get much slicker.
But worst of all, my filthy dog’s a fire hydrant licker.
(And if you wanna know why I still love him, here’s the kicker:
NOTHING chases girls away like loudly yelling “Sic her!”)
© Ed DeCaria, all rights reserved.
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I hope you liked the poem. (If not, you can take it up with Bricker.)
Okay, here is the bonus activity. It starts with a question:
What does Bricker look like? Notice that I did not actually describe his physique — his breed, height, length, weight, age, color, tail, etc. You know he’s greasy, but not much else.
I want to know what — and how — you think. I’ve provided a fun little widget on the left sidebar that allows you to draw your own Bricker. Give it a try!
The drawing deemed Worst in Show (that is, the dog that looks most like the real Bricker*) will be permanently embedded in this post along with a custom caption admiring the picture. I know, exciting stuff.
Have fun … and pass this along to your kids, your classroom, your friends, your followers, any unusually dextrous dogs you may know, or whomever else you think might like to poorly illustrate this poem. If you blow up those share buttons and create more than 100 Bricker entries (maximum one dog per customer), I will even upgrade to a real prize. Sorry kids … the prize will not be a puppy.
-Ed
*Full disclosure: There is no “real” Bricker. I’m allergic to dogs and powerless against Benadryl. But I have a vibrant imagination and I know EXACTLY what Bricker looks like. Soon you will, too.
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UPDATE: The winner of the “Worst in Show” dog doodling contest is: Renee LaTulippe
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Fun, but a little bit sad, poem. The doodling was fun too. I will share the site with students.
Way to kick it off, Linda!
What an awesome drawing … hopefully you had fun Dooodling. (That is a cool widget.)
Interesting that you thought it was sad. I hope I didn’t make the narrator’s perspective of his little Bricker sound too harsh; it was meant to be playful. Hard to re-read it from a fresh POV after so many years.
And thanks for sharing the site with students — I would love to have them visit, comment, and illustrate. The more the merrier.
-Ed
I love how whimsical and playful your poems are – and you’re right, I do think that this poem is a perfect illustration/drawing prompt for most kids – it would be good to see it come alive in full color. Hope Bricker feels better soon.
Thanks for the compliment, Myra. It means a lot as someone who is just opening himself to public critique for the first time.
I’d love to see more drawings from kids. That’s what this is really all about. If you’ve got someone in mind, please encourage them to stop by …
-Ed
Fun poem, Ed, and very cool doodling widget!
The ending was a surprise — I thought for sure Bricker would be a babe magnet rather than a repellent
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Thanks! I’ve always wanted to try this with some of my poems …
ALTERNATE ENDING #1:
NOTHING chases girls away like proudly yelling “Sic her!”)
Does that small change your feelings (or yours, Linda) about the end of the poem?
-Ed
I do like “proudly” — it makes me feel less sorry for Bricker. And on second thought, being able to chase girls away is in perfect keeping with a young boy’s sentiment. It’s older boys who use dogs to attract women
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EW! Greasy dogs are the worst!
That doodler is hard, but fun! Can’t wait to see which dog wins!
Thanks for reading and for submitting your drawing, Mary Lee!
I will announce the winner next Friday. Hopefully your chances get worse throughout the next week.
Spread the word!
I read this and laughed – we’ve been working with visualization in our poetry classes and I will have to share this with my sixth graders, who love all things that conjure up grossness.
Tara, it would be very interesting to “see” how your students envisioned Bricker upon reading, and to let them compare their visions to one another. They are of course welcome to use the Dooodler widget, or just old fashioned pen and paper. I would happily post their pictures on the blog in whatever form you choose.
Thanks for sharing!
-Ed
I hope that good ol’ Bricker gets a bath! Thank you for the fun and welcome to Poetry Fridays…that doodler is clever. I like to see the dogs that look like dogs – unlike mine! a.
Thanks, Amy. Glad you had fun. Love the bunny Bricker!
Hi Ed,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving me that hysterical squirrel story! “Worst in Show” is just too fun — clearly, I don’t put enough of the “gross factor” in my work! I doodled “Sinister Bricker,” which proves why I am not an illustrator. What a neat widget! I’m browsing around for more of your poetry now…