Join Diane, Delores and me as we squeeze the stuffing out of this topic!
The rules, such as they are, are simple: leave a poem in the comments on any of our blogs, or if you post on your own blog, please leave a comment to tell us where to find you. Or just read and enjoy. Use any topic you wish; the theme is a suggestion that can be taken or not. Have fun!
*****
For several days after Diane posted the theme for this week, I kept drawing a blank. I wasn't a teddy bear kind of kid; dolls were my big preoccupation. My kids didn't have special teddies when they were young, either.
Finally I let my mind wander beyond stuffed bears and, lo! the image of a large black dog popped into my head -- a dog named Bear, owned by a friend years ago (true story). At the same time, I remembered a piece of fiction I read long ago about a black bear who thought he was a dog. I actually found that story on the internet, but I'm not linking to it because when I re-read it I found it had a lot of gory and unhappy scenes as well as the light-hearted ones, and I don't really want to inflict that on anyone. It's strange that all I remembered were the good parts. Does that happen to you?
ANYWAY.
The rest was easy, because I let the juvenile in me take over writing.
*****
Teddy And Bear
Teddy, Teddy was a bear
Teddy, Teddy didn't care
In fact, he thought he was a dog
And joined his human for a jog
His bowl of kibble brought him joy
Along with every doggy toy
His best friend was a Newfoundland
They looked alike, you understand
Teddy's friend was known as Bear
He was a dog but didn't care
Both friends were shaggy, black and furry
Both - when running - rather blurry
Differences? they had a few
Upon the outside, it is true
One's ears stood up, one's ears flopped down
One's tail was short, one's reached the ground
But Bear and Teddy knew the trick
Of making a good friendship tick
It's what's inside that really counts
Being kind and true is paramount
Bear and Teddy were firm friends
And that is where my story ends
 |
Teddy, the black bear |
 |
Bear, the Newfoundland dog |
(Photos: Pixabay)
*****
Wishing you a week where you do not confuse a bear with a dog . . . should be fairly easy to achieve, yes? :)
On Potrero Hill in San Francisco there used to be a business that called itself "Your Basic Bear" which I assumed when I saw it to be a high-end teddy bear factory, where you could have your own idea of the perfect teddy bear built to your specifications.
ReplyDeleteI think it predated the Build-a-bear thing by a few years, as I first noticed it in '93 or '94.
I never actually went in to check it out, and I believe the information I remember about it came from reading ads in the free weeklies, but I remember driving the truck past it a few times on the way to a delivery.
I'm afraid that's all I've got on the subject of teddy bears, except to mention that they were named after the first president Roosevelt.
I do like your poem, which reminded me a little of our first cat, who wandered up as a tiny kitten and grew up with our ageing German Shorthaired Pointer and often acted as if he thought he was a dog.
-Doug in Oakland
That seems to happen to some animals, doesn't it - they take on the habits and personalities of an older "mentor". It's quite interesting that some do and some don't.
DeleteI've heard of Build-a-Bear but we don't have one here. "Your Basic Bear" is just as catchy a name!
My tired and sentimental self loved this - and I am leaking at the eyes a little. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the story (Youtube has it) about the dog, the tiger and the lion who became friends? That makes me leak too.
I haven't seen that but I'll go look. It's amazing what can happen between animals sometimes, isn't it? The laws of nature seem suspended at times.
DeleteI hear you on the leaky eyes. Some days are like that. Some WEEKS are like that! And others are fine. It's like a thermometer or barometer or some kind of -meter that measures what's going on inside. I hope your leakiness dries up for a bit, soon.
YOU JUST MADE MY DAY PRECIOUS JENNY!!!
ReplyDeletei absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the story behind your really nice and interesting poem and the poem itself:))
How amazing to be familiar with such interesting circumstances that dog was named bear and a bear who thought he was a dog
i understand your kindred soul did not allow to share the link so we can stay stick to only happy part of the story
you are writing amazing poetry now a days and i am thoroughly enjoying it my dear Jenny!
Hugs!
Thank you, baili - I'm glad you enjoy them; I'm having fun writing them :) Hugs to you, too!
DeleteI love this :) Bear and Teddy playing and running side by side. If only people could do the same.
ReplyDeleteIf only! You're right.
DeletePANDA
ReplyDeleteMy panda sits upon a shelf
Precious to me but no one else
He shared my cot when I was a baby
Will he share my coffin? Well, maybe.
I won't be there
So I won't care -
Besides he's a panda
Not a teddy bear.
Aren't pandas teddy bears too? Equal opportunity and all that? Thank you for contributing, YP!
DeleteAhhh...such a cute poem. Would make a great children’s story!
ReplyDeleteHah! Even if it's unlikely in the real world :)
DeleteHallo Jenny, I don't think we, here in the UK, will have any problems mistaking a dog for a bear. No fear of them lumbering out of the overgrowth, lol.
ReplyDeleteI did have a teddy bear, but can't remember what he looked like as I only had him for a short time. Sad!
Enough of that, over to today's poem.
An unknown area close to Leeds,
Located in West Yorkshire county,
Became famous over-night
Because of a yellow bear called Pudsey.
With a polka-dot bandage across one eye,
As a symbol for children everywhere.
For those who are sick and those in need
Of tender nursing care.
From Lands End to John O'Groats,
Pudsey is known throughout our land.
Encouraging the fund-raisers
By waving a helping hand.
Every year there is a week of fund-raising fun when people bake cakes, have fetes, shave beards/hair off, dress in silly or inappropriate clothes for work etc to raise much needed funds for Children In Need with health issues.
Take care Jenny, see you next week.
Now THAT is a hard-working bear - what a wonderful thing to have that sort of fund-raising. Fun for people and very productive.
DeleteThanks for sharing that poem and info, Joan.
Loved this, Jenny. I will admit that I would rather find Bear in my yard than Teddy. We have traveling bears in our neighborhood every now and then. They capture them, tag them, return them to the mountain area, and many times they come back in a short time.
ReplyDeleteYikes - we actually have bears around here, too, but none have been found in our immediate neighbourhood. My father once found a bear raiding the compost bin at his country home, and instead of going back in the house he threw his sneakers at it and it left! lol
DeleteWhat a lovely story done in rhyme......
ReplyDeleteThanks, D :)
DeleteWell, they DO look awfully similar! My memory is similarly slanted toward remembering the positive, I think -- which isn't a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteThey do, don't they?
DeleteI could hardly believe it when I was reading through the story. I kept thinking "Ack! I don't remember that! Ack! I don't remember that!"
Sorry the inspiration was gory, but your reincarnation is not. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI'm too wussy to write gory stuff :)
DeleteAdorable! You do this soooo well!
ReplyDeleteI'm learning from you and Delores! ha ha Thanks, Diane.
DeleteHAHA! I loved this. One of your best. Speaking of bears, we once rain into one on a country road when hubby and I were on a motorcycle ride. It's interesting how quickly you can turn around to head in the opposite direction when you have to :)
ReplyDeleteOh my! A U-turn sounds like the proper thing to do!!
DeleteI like your poem - thanks for the smiles! This would be a very good week for me not to confuse a bear with a dog. The bears are stocking up for winter, and twice this week there's been a big black bear high up a wild cherry tree, snacking away... about thirty yards from the house. The first time I noticed him when I was sitting outside, and you can bet I hurried inside! The second time I spotted him from indoors, where I was glad to stay. Hope the cherries are gone soon... ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness - please be careful, even AFTER the cherries are gone. He might hang around "just in case". Do you carry bear spray? Are you considering it? Too bad there wasn't something to warn you of their presence. Early Warning Bear Beep, or something!
DeleteSomebody TOTALLY needs to invent the Early Warning Bear Beep! I'd buy it for sure. I don't worry too much (but I stay alert) when I'm inside our fenced perimeter with a clear view all around me and lots of ways to get to the house; but if I go into the woods I wear a jingly bell and carry bear spray, a whistle, an air horn, flares, bear bangers (they make a noise like a shotgun) and a 6" KaBar combat knife just in case. No, I'm not paranoid; why do you ask? ;-)
DeleteSomehow I think the hard thing about the EWBB is not making it but getting the bears to wear it :)
DeleteClearly you have thought through the bear risk and adjusted the contents of your pockets (or waist pouch, lol) accordingly. That's GOOD!
What a sweet take and well told! Bears and dogs..... What would we do without them?
ReplyDeleteIndeed :)
DeleteI really don't know what to share when writing about a teddy bear
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, there it is, a perfect one-liner!
DeleteWell that was a nice twist on the Teddy Bear theme. I don't know why, but I had you down as a Teddy Bear kind of kid, rather than dolls.
ReplyDeleteCute poem!
You'd think so, wouldn't you? Being a LOLcat fan and all :)
DeleteThe dog and bear look so much alike, amazing.
ReplyDeleteThey do, don't they?
DeleteDear jenny_o, thanks for that poem. It certainly did justice to both the Bear and Bear. I enjoyed meeting them. peace.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dee! And peace to you.
DeleteLovely poem, jenny_o. I liked it a lot.
ReplyDeleteHere's my poem:
Roses are red
My name is Dave
This poem makes no sense
Microwave
It might not make sense but it sure made me laugh!
DeleteJenny:
ReplyDeleteI have a question....
I have read poetry to a limited extent. And, I have been reading poems associated with your Poem Mondays as well. But... while I can recognize poetry, and I can sometimes identify really good poetry... I do not have a real understanding of any sort on HOW to write or HOW to organize or HOW to think about things in a poetry sort of way.
So, I am wondering if you might have a recommendation of a book that you think would give me that sort of insight? I would like to know and understand how to write poetry but I am really at a loss on how to begin. I have tried looking for books myself, but most seem too ephemeral to give me a good grounding in this art. I tend to do well with books that are rather didactic and sequential. Could you potentially suggest a book or two or three that you feel would help me out?
Welcome, PT. Thank you for reading.
DeleteYour question reminded me of how little I know about writing poetry. I've never read anything about the process, to be honest, and was mostly just exposed to it in school by reading and discussion under the teachers' guidance. I also don't take it too seriously, so I'm not sure you're asking the right person for recommendations!
However, when I Googled "how to write poetry", there were a number of websites popped up, including this one which is fairly basic and yet in my opinion covers a lot of ground:
https://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/poetry-writing-tips-how-to-write-a-poem/comment-page-4/
I hope this helps.
I write only for fun and self-amusement and sometimes to get a story on paper that I feel I can't express as well in prose. That's probably why I never went looking for rules or tips. But after reading the website above, I realize there's a lot more I could be doing if I want to improve :)
Good luck, and feel free to share your efforts in the comments here on Mondays!