Lillian hosted Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe, with a post called What Were You Like Before that provided a prompt for writing a prequel poem. Lillian said, “consider famous characters from nursery rhymes, Aesops’ Fables, books you’ve read, or perhaps mythology. And then I’d like you to imagine a previous life for that character, in terms of what they were like before they became famous.” The next step was to write a poem about the character.
Here’s my poem, a prequel about a puppy, a bird and a boy and how they got together before they became famous.
he immediately knew he’d found his friends
a happy little puppy
in a litter of mates
was suddenly
lonely, lost, forlorn—
he wondered
as he wandered
through alleys
and fields
“how did I get here?”
“where did they go?”
thoughts not in words
(because puppies can’t speak)
but in mind-pictures:
tussling with the others
snuggling with
the big warm one
with the big tongue
and comforting smell
“how did I get here?”
“where did they go?”
he wondered
as he wandered
drinking from puddles
eating scraps on the street
a vague memory:
sleeping in a basket
by the roadside
waking up alone
“how did I get here?”
“where did they go?”
instinctively hiding
from bigger animals
he watched a yellow bird
dancing and preening
alone in a puddle
and knew
(he immediately knew)
he’d found a friend
“how did you get here?”
“where shall we go?”
thoughts not in words
(because neither puppies
nor little yellow birds can speak)
but in universal body language
signaling trust
vulnerability
reciprocity
synchronicity
“let’s go”
they set off
on a journey
to somewhere, anywhere
the bird hopped
and flitted
the puppy ambled
and tumbled
as they rambled
“where shall we go?”
a small lonely boy
looking over his fence
saw a puppy
and a bird
dancing and prancing
and knew
(he immediately knew)
he’d found his friends
“I’ll call you Snoopy
and you’ll be Woodstock”
(they didn’t understand the words
but got the body language)
he signaled trust
vulnerability
reciprocity
synchronicity
“this is where you’ll stay”
The Peanuts characters have a lot of symbolic meaning in my family, and they grace my studio, moving around as they need to. My brother’s childhood room was decorated with a Peanuts theme (he chose it) and my nieces and sister-in-love gifted me with the Woodstock toy right after he died in 2013, giving the Charlie Brown to my Dad at the same time. I inherited him when Dad joined Steve over the rainbow four years later, and found a Snoopy to complete the set. The framed picture on the table is my brother and me, from about 30 years ago. I learned from my sister-in-love that my grouping of these items together is called an offrenda, a type of altar created to honor lost loved ones.
Charlie Brown and Woodstock moved over to the daybed, and Fiona made a nest behind them for a nap last weekend. That’s my brother’s urn behind Fiona on the left. He moves around in my studio, too. This picture wasn’t posed, and I didn’t know I’d have an opportunity to use it in a post… but it is another validation of my favorite word: serendipity.
Dad and Steve, this poem is for you, and for our loved ones who share a bond beyond words.
© 2024, Glover Gardens
This happens, last of the litter. Feels like an orphan child that no one adppts. Our daughter and the Mrs. Were walking and a puppy up the hill crawled under its fence to follow them. They walked around the block to take her home. The lady owner told of the puppy’s status and said she would at no cost. Totto had a new home.
I have a plush Snoopy Dog along with several other the size of yours. Fourteen or eighteen comes to mind. Some are on this blog haven, more on my other active blog. Search for the word, “toys”.
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I love your story about Totto! That’s how it happens sometimes, the pet finds YOU. I went to your blog and enjoyed looking at the vintage toys. Wow!
I imagined myself walking along the puppy and my heart was almost crushed. A sigh of relief when he met the bird but not until they met the boy did my heart calmed down. In times of vulnerability, friends, sometimes in the form of strangers, could be our refuge. Enjoyed this poem so much 💕.
It makes happy to know you were immersed in the poem – and glad I took it to its happy ending! I love this thought you expressed: “In times of vulnerability, friends, sometimes in the form of strangers, could be our refuge.” I think that could be an excellent prompt for poetry or prose.
😍it took me a minute to figure it out. Snoopy and Woodstock. Cutest story ever. Love it.
Thank you, Melissa!
A heartwarming prequel, Kim, lovely to read this morning about these figures that populated my childhood too. Loved the use of repetition amid puddles and baskets and fences. 💖
Thank you so much! I find myself using repetition quite a bit. I think I will be a lyricist in my next life, LOL.
This is a delightful story, verse, and way to honor your brother and dad. Kudos Kim.
Thank you very much. I spilled out of my heart and onto the page.
This is so very sweet… almost like a children’s book… a journey of lonely souls coming together.
Thank you! I really enjoyed thinking of them in that way.
Tonight we watched The Peanuts Movie with our granddaughter. She loved it. Now I can tell her where Snoopy came from.
That’s awesome! I hope she enjoys thinking of them as little ones.
So touching, both the real story and the made up one. And nice to see Fiona getting in on the act again!
Now that she knows you’re watching, she’s ready for prime time. 😊
OMG! What a delightful take abd response to the prompt. Bravo.
Thanks for dropping by my blog.
Much♡love
Such heartwarming images & lovely words!
Glad they all found each other and so did you!
Very beautifully arranged table!
Don’t we all wonder-
“how did I get here?”
“where did they go?”
The world is here & we will find friends & know!
Oh my….I owe you an apology! Somehow, I never got to reading the last few posts for my prompt, yours included. This is such a heartfelt poem….and a beautiful explanation with photos. I also lost my brother….he became an angel far too young. I’m so very sorry you lost your brother too. Thank you for posting…I love this prequel to Snoopy’s happy days.