Cats and Dogs

I Married a Cat… She Married a Dog

I married a cat
Sleek and beautiful
Strong and independent
Yet likes to come and be close when
She is ready and feeling loved
Claiming the house as her space
Demanding attention when things get neglected
Purring when things go right
Scratching when things go wrong
Loving and caring and always there
I married a cat
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She married a dog
A co-dependent creature
Full of noise and excitement
Always barking about something
Demanding attention
Not to be denied
Protective and possessive
Tail wagging and drooling for love
Always wanting more
Assuming and thoughtless
Taking everything for granted
Leaving sheadings everywhere he goes
Always there when things get tough
Full of love and compassion
A wife’s best friend
She married a dog!

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Photo taken many years ago! Dwight L. Roth

Lillian at d’Verse asked us to consider opposites in our poetry this evening! The saying is “Opposites Attract”  applies to me and my wife. As you see in my poem we are very different personalities, yet we have managed to make this marriage work for the past 48 years!  Come join us at d’verse and join the fun.

https://dversepoets.com

 

Opposites Attract

I heard that opposites attract. This was true of my Grandparents who died when I was six years old. Grandpa was strong and composed and Grandma was outgoing and full of energy. She tended to be impatient at times, but was a loving caring person. I am writing a biographical fiction about their life. Much of what was passed down is only a few sentence describing events in their life. I am taking those events and embellishing them with what I think might have occurred.  This poem is an example of one event, their courtship and marriage. The earlier poem, Goodbye Little Sister, is another event I decided to write about. I hope to have a book of stories for my grandchildren about their life  that are based on facts, but stories made up by me.

Opposites Attract

Strong young Christian a hard-working man

Living miles away with his Ohio clan

A concrete mason and veterinarian on the side

Tall and handsome with a smile you can’t hide

Folks from Pennsylvania traveled west to visit

Family and friends and church folks that fidget

Daughter Linda a young beauty vivacious

A smart young woman with smile infectious

Christian a reserved guy and not too forward

Found this outgoing girl not backward

She made her way to him through the mingle

Introducing herself her smile made him tingle

She told him her story of a valley so big

Between Jack’s and Stone Mountains where they all lived

Amish and Mennonites with red barns farmed the land

Dairy cows and alfalfa fields shocking corn by hand

She came back again on the train to be there

Anticipating the visits, he could not wait to see her

It didn’t take long for this smart young woman

To win his heart she didn’t have to woo him

They spent hours together each time that she came

He showed her his work marked with his name

A year of letters and visits to see him

He asked for her hand she didn’t refuse him

Plans were made for a big family wedding

Family and friends all celebrated their joining

They settled in a house at the edge of his town

Raised a family saw tragedy and spread joy all around

Grandpa’s fine concrete lasted a hundred years or more

Grandma’s good heart always looked out for the poor

They left a legacy we all can be proud of

And stories to tell from two opposites we all love

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth