Your Faithful Hound
Catch your scent upon the wind, it stirs my heat;
Burning bright, a dog turned wolf, I range night sky,
Sniff you out, star drunk, to where we always meet.
Mystery. There is no sense. Do not ask why
Comes this urge to go and fetch with earnest howl
Fermented myst goblets to and fro ‘crost time;
To weave and sate wordless yearnings of the soul.
You turn, warm-beamed, to feign surprise, in vain,
Pull me close, swaddled tight by your cosmic growls;
Croon me through vortices of death, birth, and pain.
Alchemize cocoon, you gift me old as new;
Bright dawn’s spright, fuzzed pup alights on earth again.
My light springs from yours, as sun illumines moon.
Faithful hound always, as written in the runes.
Top image watercolor by Jolanta Soltis
Written in Terza Rima Sonnet form. This form of poem has an eleven syllable count in each line and a rhyming scheme of aba, bcb, cdc, ded, ee.
Sirius is known as the dog star. Here I imagine myself as a dog, seeking the wisdom of my Muse, Sirius.
I had to look up cultural beliefs surrounding this very important star and am including some of what I found here, courtesy of wikipedia and one other site.
• Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name means ‘glowing’ or ‘scorching’.
• Sirius appears bright because of its intrinsic luminosity.
• Sirius is about twice as massive as the Sun and is 25 times as luminous as the Sun. Sirius is colloquially known as the “Dog Star“, reflecting its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major (the Greater Dog.)
• The ancient Greeks observed that the appearance of Sirius as the morning star heralded the hot and dry summer and feared that the star caused plants to wilt, men to weaken, and women to become aroused. Anyone suffering its effects was said to be “star-struck.”
• Animals were sacrificed on its setting on April 25 to appease its ill effects.
A website with many cultural connections to Sirius.
Dora is today’s host for dVerse’ Poetics. Dora says:
Using Duffy’s and Hughes’ poems as examples, write a poem using any animal of your choice (real or mythological) as a metaphor for how ideas and words take shape for you on a blank page.
Tao Talk 
Just swept away by the pulsing passion and steady intensity of this relationship between muse and poet, Li. Its constancy through life is its tremendous strength and I can’t help but marvel at how connected it is to the cosmic power of night-winds and stars, mystical and finally, so comforting. I love it. Explains so much your approach to writing, too, that it’s not a trivial thing, but intensely central to your well-being. Quite the gift you give us through it too. I can’t even begin to name my favorite lines or phrases, they work too well together. What a treat to read, Lisa, and worth waiting for. 😊💖
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Dear Dora, you just made my night. Thank you <3 And thank you for the thoughtful and inspiring prompt.
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You’re so welcome, my friend. Thanks for taking the time to join in! 🥰
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And did you know he was the faithful dog of Orion???
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Not until today. That will take some pondering…
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The ending couplet to the form is a beautiful ending. Love the Sirius dog star as muse as well as appreciate the notes about Sirius. Inspired writing, specially with the gifts old as new.
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<3 Grace, thanks, and glad you connected with it.
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Lisa, this is a captivating exploration of the mystical connection between self and inspiration. The vivid imagery, cultural references, and the Terza Rima Sonnet form create a powerful and resonant piece… Well done!
~David
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Thank you very much, David <3
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Oh, we both went for sonnets, but I had another rhyme scheme… and to have that wolf-hound by your side is amazing… makes me think of your animal as your fylgja or personal totem… love the flow of your poem
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Bjorn, thank you so much and glad you like the poem. I do think of myself as a woman who runs with the wolves.
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A curious canine sonnet, Lisa, full of mystery and surprise. I especially love the opening lines.
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Kim, thank you so much <3
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My pleasure, Lisa.
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Bro powerful imagery in your poem Li.
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Thanks much, Sadje!
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My pleasure 😇
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Rhythmical, enchanting and seductive; I love all the extra information you included about the star itself; and especially the notion of being “star-struck” which you transcribe so well in the poem. I also love this version of a sonnet, and would love to give it a go.
Also, as a side trivia : there was a woman in Serbia, an astrologist, formerly an actress, that married the Regulus star; even added Regulus to her surname
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Thank you for your meaningful feedback, O. I love that side trivia. Why the heck not marry a star :)
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Lush, rich, fascinating … the first three reactions I had to this amazing poem!!!
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Helen, thank you! I’ll take them!
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It’s interesting to know the origin of Starstruck.
And you’ve caught that feeling well. From wolf to cosmos. And back again. The form adds to the magical ritualistic atmosphere. (K)
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Kerfe, you inspired me with your pantoum. I went out looking for a challenging form. Happy you found it interesting :)
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This is a wondrous poem, Msjadeli. ⭐️ I’m Sirius seriously starstruck at your awesome poetry. ⭐️ Thank you also for the fascinating info. 💙
(Drat! I’m sorry I missed this inspiring prompt)
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Lesley, so happy you connected with it. You may already know this, but dVerse has an Open Link Night once or twice a month on Thursdays. Perfect time to link up with prompts that you want to write to but miss linkup window on the night of any prompt. There’s a schedule on the dVerse main page in the column on the right to show you when they are. Just sayin…. ;)
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Ooo, Thanks, Msjadeli,
I’d love to meet you all there sometime!
I shall try to do that soon 🙏😊💗
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:)
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I’ve looked up the times and it will be 3 pm in the UK. I’ll try to sort something out. I’d love to meet you. 😊
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That would be fantastic! There is a lovely group that assembles for the live readings. You can choose any poem you want to read for it also — or just listen — totally up to you.
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I like how you weaved this one…it has depth.
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Max, thank you very much. I truly enjoyed writing this one. Writing can be so cathartic.
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It can be…I feel that way about my songs.
Oh…this week…has been one of the craziest weeks ever at work…you probably won’t hear from me until tonight again…absolutely bonkers! Oh but good news…Jen found a good job and starts on the 22
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One thing at a time when things go off the hinges. OK on later. No worries. Congrats on Jen finding a good job!
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Finally….I just got home not long ago….I should have came home at 5 and just worked from home…but I was into it deep.
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Things sorting themselves out with the issue? I played online game with the kids then started watching a new season (9) of Alone and didn’t get to bed til 5 :( My sleep schedule is all messed up. Got up at 12:30pm!!!!
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It’s going to seep into next week but at least I’m halfway done with most of it. Its 4 different things that are up in the air.
Oh lordy! 5am… that is some binging. We are watching Rhoda, MTM, and Dick Van Dyke …a little behind the times lol.
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Glad you made a dent in them, Max. You have a bulldog tenacity that tells me you’ll get them all done in a timely manner.
I like all of those happy, funny shows you guys are watching. I’ve been watching one called, “Psych” that is really funny. I just watched 2 episodes of Alone last night.
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I’m happy when you give me names of these…we will sometimes break out with something new…and it’s good to have the names.
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Such a heartfelt knowing poem Lisa❣️ Great picture as well❣️
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I like how you describe it, thank you!
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I’m glad you like that LISA! You’re so welcome💕
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<3
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This moves along picking up speed (words) along the way.
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Beautiful post 🌹
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Thank you.
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Excellent poem! Your word choices are impeccable.
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Thank you!
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So much thought has gone behind this poem ( like many others of yours) and all the elements come together to make this a poem to be read again and again. Marvellous, Li! ❤️
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Punam, that is high praise. Thank you, my friend <3
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This was stunning Lisa :-) very beautiful and worked really well! :-)
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Carol Anne, thanks for bringing that story back to me. Glad you liked it.
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