Canine Chaos
Alexandria Davis

Looking around the warm room—
Filled with clutter and chaos
We see a sense of order in the dogs
That line the walls.

One after another and another
Their brilliant eyes shine up at me.
I can’t help but smile;
I too am a dog lover.

The perfect pet that will always heal and adore you
Is one that is painted in acrylics
With an open mouth showing its pink tongue.
Its smile will never fade.

How friendly the painted dogs seem,
Never captured in a growl or tiff.
He paints them as cute and cuddly
As they were when pups.

Playful and possessing human-like qualities,
They carry a sense of personality and style,
Although they are just dogs.
You can’t help but want to take one home.

This is an ekphrastic poem, written in response to E.J. Miley’s dog
portraits in the Spring 2006 faculty art show at Lincoln College.
Alex learned about ekphrasis, or poetry in response to visual art,
in Kathleen Kirk’s creative writing classroom.

© 2005 Lincoln College
Copyright reverts to individual authors upon posting here.

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