Welcome to Litsy!

Little Dog‘s Rhapsody in the Night

He puts his cheek against mine
and makes small, expressive sounds.
And when I‘m awake, or awake enough
he turns upside down, his four paws in the air
and his eyes dark and fervent.
“Tell me you love me,” he says.
“Tell me again.”
Could there be a sweeter arrangement?
Over and over
he gets to ask.
I get to answer.

—Mary Oliver

In honour of national puppy day I had to share a picture of my little guy Hughie. ❤️ If you enjoy poetry and are a dog lover, I would highly recommend the tagged collection by Mary Oliver. #dogsoflitsy

Thanks @AvidReader25 for putting this back on my radar.If you have ever had a dog in your life & maybe if you haven‘t you will find these poems relatable & enjoyable! I read T.S.Eliot‘s Book of Practical Cats so it‘s good to round out the reading with some dogs! 😁🐶It was a pleasure!

Our pups make up every day sweeter. Mary Oliver has a unique gift and she captures the simplicity and the beauty of that fact. She captures their unconditional love, playfulness, incredible sense of smell, and simplistic devotion to joy. My 12-year-old dog Ollie is such an important part of our family and I thought of him frequently while reading this one.

#IndelibleMoments Day 2: There is just absolute #Grace in our furry babies, and Mary Oliver manages to capture that beautifully in this book of poems.

Who doesn't love short poems about dogs? There are a few that will make you cry, but the majority of this collection is warm fuzzies given eloquence and reverence, even the couple of thought pieces/essays included. Hard to pick a favourite, but I've quoted a few here in the last few days.

🥹

An alternative to obedience training: charming mayhem. 💁🏼‍♂️

Best. Contract. Ever. 🐕🐶🐾🥰

What would life be like without dogs?

#PoetryMatters Day 23: #Paw

This was so cute; the poems were simple but I quite liked that about them❤🐶

A great book of heartwarming poems about dogs. I don't usually read poetry, but I enjoyed this. #Booked2021 #poetry #NovelNovember - total so far 352 pages. @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft @Andrew65

I lost my perfect boy last month 💔 A thank you to this warm and wonderful community for providing some comfort ❤️

#thankfulthursday

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

1. Losing my beloved little dog.
2. New administration! 🎉

Our little doll, Lisa , had her spaying operation today. She‘s good ... husband is giving her TLC ... she is such a dotey pet .. she‘ll be grand !! 💕💕💕 #DogsofLitsy wouldn‘t you just love them X

This is a fine collection of poems and a short essay that celebrates the special, beautiful bond between human and dogs. Some are heartfelt poems, some are full of wisdom that can teach us to love our lives, and many quotable ones as well. A wonderful read, dog lovers and owners will love this.

#poetry #jennyis30 @jenniferw88

Pure happiness.

I‘m dipping in and out of this book, and will share a few of my favourites. Here‘s one.

“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” ~ T.S. Eliot

1. Poetry can be so beautiful and moving and lyrical. Condensing an emotion or event to a short poem is a amazing feat of artistry.
2. While I love both, there‘s a special place in my heart for verse form that requires such a specific skill.
3. Tagged! But I‘ve enjoyed all of her collections that I‘ve read.

Happy Sunday, and don‘t forget to tag me! #sundayfunday

Brilliant! Oliver expressed so many feelings and observations that I‘ve had with my beloved dogs in my life. That is the magic of poetry, isn‘t it? To put feelings we are unable to express into words. We are so lucky to have dogs in our lives! #Booked2020 #animalonthecover @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen

Starting this one for #Booked2020 #animaloncover @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

1. My puppy‘s 14th birthday is tomorrow, so I‘m glad my hold on Mary Oliver will be coming in sometime this month.

2. Planning? What is this planning? Always the seat of my pants.

#two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

@thebookkeepers @HoneyBeeLee @slategreyskies

Hey #GroupP, here are some poetry options for the next round of the #LMPBC. Let know what you think!

Digest, by Gregory Pardlo
Billy the Kid, by Michael Ondaatje
Dog Songs, by Mary Oliver

The warm pupper needed his head uncovered for some cool air, so I am following up my reading of Dog Songs with holding this precious head and murmuring about how much I love this sweetheart. #Pippin #dogsoflitsy #bostonterriersoflitsy

Little Dog's Rhapsody in the Night

He puts his cheek against mine
and makes small, expressive sounds.
And when I'm awake, or awake enough

he turns upside down, his four paws
in the air
and his eyes dark and fervent.

"Tell me you love me," he says.

"Tell me again."

Could there be a sweeter arrangement? Over and over
he gets to ask.
I get to tell.

This is the perfect book to read in one sitting in the couch with a sweet dog sleeping on your lap, under a blanket, snuffling and sighing happily and periodically nuzzling even closer to you. 💕🐾 Mary Oliver is wonderful and this book is charming. If you love dogs you'll love this + will probably cry + will need to hold a pupper and tell them how much you love them. #dogsoflitsy

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4)

Your basic feel good read.

#VirtualMountTBR2019 #Overdrive #poetry

As someone who took creative writing courses in college, I feel a bit cheated. There were no dogs in our classroom. 🐕💙#Overdrive #TBR

I adored this collection. If you have ever owned a dog you will appreciate the sweet honest reflections Mary Oliver writes about in these heartfelt poems.

This is one I will probably read again and again. 💚

This makes my second completed book for #NFNov @rsteve388 @Clwojick

Starting this one tonight before bed. I have a feeling it might make me emotional before I finish it. I'm a sucker for anything involving animals.

#NFNov @rsteve388 @Clwojick

I‘m not much of a poetry reader but somehow I feel compelled to read this one. Gatsby approves. #schnauzersoflitsy

National Dog Day ❤️🐶

Devoured.

Mary Oliver is one of only a handful of writers who could pull off a book of poetry about the dogs she has loved. It was lovely to hear her reading this. 🐾 #poetry #queerbooks

A short book of poems: sometimes funny, sometimes wonderful, and sometimes sad.

I really enjoyed this book of Mary Oliver‘s poems plus one essay. The essay was originally published as part of her book titled Long Life. I have to admit that, as much as I enjoyed the poems, the essay was my favorite part. Recommended for lovers of both poetry and of dogs! #poetry #dogsoflitsy #doglovers

Mary Oliver's Dog Songs is a celebration of the special bond between human and dog, as understood through the poet's relationship to the canines that have accompanied her daily walks, warmed her home, and inspired her work. Oliver's poems begin in the small everyday moments familiar to all dog lovers, but through her extraordinary vision these observations become higher meditations on the world and our place in it.

5/5 ⭐️ Highly enjoyable. I love dogs. I love my rescue dog so much that it sometimes aches in the best of ways. Mary Oliver, one of the greatest American poets there was, loved her dogs, too. And I gotta tell you, the way she describes it here, the sweet simplicity of her love? It‘s truly amazing in the *best* of ways as well. Frowned upon by her peers for “simplistic writings”, but I tell you this: she didn‘t win a Pulitzer Prize for nothin‘.

#loveyourpetday

Happy ❤️ pets day! This is my Tucker. He and I have walked hundreds of miles while I listen to audiobooks. 🎧 🐾

“.. of all the sights I love in this world - and there are plenty - very near the top of the list is this one: dogs without leashes.” ~ Mary Oliver, Dog Songs

We were doing Poetry Speed Dating this morning and after A‘s time with tagged book was up he came up to me and said, “Miss, this book made me cry.” #TeachersOfLitsy

Who doesn‘t like a book of poems about dogs to start off your Wednesday morning?

My pastor brings her sweet golden doodle to our EfM class & to my husband‘s contemplative music service (Cooper‘s bark can sometimes be heard on the webcast!). She just got a second dog & after a conversation we had about poetry, this felt like the perfect gift (naturally I read it first!). Feels especially poignant after Mary Oliver‘s passing. It‘s a lovely collection of poetry about Oliver‘s beloved dogs—but of course, it‘s about more than dogs.

#FriYayIntro
1. Urban fantasy/paranormal
2. No phobias, but I don‘t care for large crowds or being around too many people too long. #introvertlife
3. I never really knew. I wasn‘t that kid who could say “I want to be X.” But I have always loved writing.
4. 46F which is still too cold for me
5. 👋🏻 to some of my new followers @Cathy_J @sblbooks @CindyMyLifeIsLit @Victoriahoperose

RIP Mary Oliver 😢 #poetrymatters

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/obituaries/mary-oliver-d...

Pic credit: Savory Bookshop & Cafe (https://www.facebook.com/savoybookshopcafe/)
Poem: “The Summer Day”

❤❤❤😢 Stolen from Book Riot. I adore Mary Oliver..RIP

💔

So relatable ❤️ Covers the bond between you and your dog 🐕 from puppyhood to the final goodbye. 😢 Gorgeous sketches too.