Battles Rob - Throw the damn ball: classic poetry by dogs

T he pleasure of discovering these poems has been indescribable. To glimpse the scope and depths of these animals most private feelings, and their astonishing ability to express them, forces all of us to revise upward our already high opinion of these devoted creatures. More remarkable still, these dogs reveal more than a passing acquaintance with Western human poetry, as evidenced by the many verses in this volume alluding to great works by Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Dylan Thomas, William Butler Yeats, William Carlos Williams, John Donne, Allen Ginsberg, Joyce Kilmer, Helen Reddy, and others. These canine bards have used the immortal lines of others to head off in unexpected directions, not unlike a dog let off a short leash in a city park. Perhaps its the dogs wolf ancestry that explains the wildness and earthiness of some of these verses. While most of the poems in this volume reflect classic themeslike love, loss, friendship, and mealtimethere is also an emphasis on sex and bodily functions, the lack of which in human poetry may well explain its decline in popularity.

Weve made no attempt to censor these works, subscribing, as we do, to the Write what you know edict familiar to writers of all species. These poems challenge us not to hold our noses at the mention of poop, pee, and flatulence, and to explore their deeper meanings. Be open-minded. Embrace these dogs efforts to be better understood. In so doing, we may come to know ourselves better, and the dogs within all of us. The Editors