January 28, 2013 - 0900

This originally started out as what I call a "snippet". Just a little bit of verse or a few lines that I save and hope to fill out into something later. I ended up writing the whole thing in about 20 minutes.

Coyotes

It was the deepest part of the night

Just before it becomes morning

As the dog and I walked

In our dark neighborhood

From my right I heard

A coyote bay

A sharp, long, lonely sound

A lost friend. A sad cry

We walked on; it didn't seem close

But who could tell

Echoes and trees have a way

Of distorting a sounds direction

Then from the left

Another coyote calls

Answering a friends call

Friends finding friends in the blackness

At first, I smiled

Nature at it's most natural

Two scavenger-predators

Out for a meal and a chat

But the baying kept on

My dog, oblivious to the potential danger

Kept at the business of her business

Nose to the ground, ears missing her kin

I understood what was happening

At least, I felt like I did

We were being watched

We were being followed

Turning us back towards the house

The call and respond followed

Down the sidewalk and to the driveway

Never getting closer, always following

I let out my breath as we went inside

They couldn't get in our house

My grip relaxed on the butt of my pistol

My dog begged for her treat

January 21, 2013 - 0900

Friends I Don't Even Know

I get the notifications daily

Or, at least on the day that they happen

Another officer killed in the line of duty

Another hero gone from the world

The number was the lowest in years

Decades

Tell that to the families left behind

Tell that to the children who are a parent short now

As I read the stories of their demise

I wonder and worry

About people I don't even know

Virtual cops

I wonder about @Mia_Ria

On the job with her children at home

I am concerned about @SuburbanFiveOh

And his recent switch to the midnight shift

I know only a little about @ShadowCoPodcast

But when the stream went eerily quiet

I hoped that he was okay

And that work had just become "work"

Others, like @TheMalligator and @LPD5408

Are still active and prolific

I know they are doing well

But I still am concerned for my brothers in blue

I wouldn't even know if something happened to them

Unless it showed up on the feed

In the timeline

If it were news, I'd never know it was them

I know ours is a dangerous job

We have loved ones who care for us

Who worry about us, want us home safely at night

I am a stranger to these officers, but I worry and care too

January 13, 2013 - 0900

Random Limerick Time!

It's hard to stay focused while working

Many things make my eyes herky-jerking

But I'll knuckle down

Because I'm not a clown

Leaving loose ends all a-quirking

My Baby and I are so happy

When we are awake or taking a nappy

We hold hands and kiss

It's a treat I won't miss

I agree when they say we are sappy

The weather dropped way too down low

I wonder how far it will go

It's too cold to for snowing

And the wind keeps on blowing

So in my toasty car I go patrol

January 7, 2013 - 0900

Welcome Back Poet, We Missed You

I know that it has been a while

Since I have written here

And so I hope to add more rhymes

Throughout the coming year

And not to be so sad and dour

To bring some happy thoughts

So everyone can read and smile

With the haves and the have-nots

If I miss a week or two

Don’t fret and don’t lament

I didn’t forget my place to write

I’ll be back to make a dent

In the minds of those who read

My silly little lines

And maybe make you stop and think

Deeply, from time to time