Sunday, April 17, 2022

PAD Day 17: Mad Dogs and Gregory Peck

 Today's dual prompts from Write Better Poetry and NaPoWriMo: (1) Write a "mad" poem, and (2) "think about dogs you have known, seen, or heard about, and then use them as a springboard into wherever they take you." I went with a fictional dog rather than one I've actually known or seen, and the combination of the two prompts practically begs for a "mad dog" theme. The other films I can think of that feature "mad dogs" are Old Yeller and Cujo, but I've never seen either of them. This film, though, is one of my all-time favorites - the book too.

Mad Dog
 
I have known a lot of dogs in my life,
some friendly, some less so,
but no dog ever scared me as much
as the one I saw in a movie as a kid.
 
It was in To Kill a Mockingbird,
a hot summer day in Alabama,
when a growling old dog staggered
down the street, foaming at the mouth.
Atticus told his kids to go inside,
and got his rifle, took aim and shot
the poor animal in the head.
It was rabid, he explained,
he had to put it out of its misery
and protect his children.
 
My father was no Atticus Finch,
but despite all of his faults,
he would have done exactly the same thing.
 

1 comment:

Vince Gotera said...

Good job, Bruce. The ending is brilliant!