Wise Women Friday: Linda Dove

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Words of wisdom from American poet Linda Dove:

Awe proves unsustainable...

Can we talk some more about my dog? What I love about my dog is that -- for her-- every pleasure is always sustainable. She is all exclamation points. "OMG! This kibble is fantastic!" "We're going for a walk! OMG! That's just what I've always wanted to do! "Squirrel!" "Cat!" Car ride." "Bacon!"

When my children were toddlers, they were like my dog in that every morning they woke up raring to go, battery charged, as if to say, "Look! I'm conscious! We better get busy!"

At some point that stopped. At some point their awe became unsustainable. They took it for granted that morning would follow night, that lunch would follow breakfast, and that chicken gets really boring after a very short time. They became like the rest of us.

"Awe is unsustainable." But why? What evolutionary advantage does that confer? How does it help us, but not dogs? Why?

P.S.: You might want to check out Linda Dove's blog, http://lindadove.blogspot.com, for more of her poems and wise musings. She also has a new book of poetry, In Defense of Objects, available at Bear Star Press.

More Bacon News

I'm getting a little nervous.  The contestants of the Great Bacon Caper are coming for brunch in a few weeks and several of them are very clever food bloggers who post beautiful food porn pictures of their lovely comestibles.  

I am not a bad cook, but I am not a Martha Stewart cook, either.  I come from good German stock.  I make simple food, and it never resembles food porn.  My cake platters have as much frosting as my cakes.  My sandwiches are unevenly sliced.  My cupcakes are of varying sizes and shapes.  

As I worriedly contemplate the menu and furrow my brow at the thought of Susan Carrier's miniature Pecan tassies, I give you three things to ponder.  

One.  A refresher of the winning entry, a lovely poem by our bacon winner, Linda Dove

Two.  A haiku for the vegetarians, courtesy of  Paula Johnson.

Three.  A picture that I think must have inspired Paula.

On the Stove in the Kitchen

by Linda Dove

The anticipation of this bacon in the pan;

Pastries for a salt-toothed girl.

Paula's Haiku

The average pig

counts on vegetarians

to save his bacon.

Click here to see the very pigs Paula must have been talking about, and thanks to Altadena Hiker for bringing this photo from Greenwich Village Daily Photo to my attention. 

A Bacon Poem No Less

And would you believe it...a bacon poem by Linda Dove.