My Thoughts · poetry

Write Poetry About a Dog Attack? Really?

Larada Horner-Miller
Poetry book, leaf & latte - write

Write poetry about a dog attack? I’ve written poetry on every topic possible. And yes, I have written poetry about the dog attack.

Today is eight weeks—two months since that horrible mauling. I’ve been robbed of my normal life and living. No dancing, dancing, dancing! Finally, we planned to go to Rendezvous in the Rockies square and round dance festival next weekend. No way! No Driving to my meetings, getting groceries or just going shopping. Driving to Branson twice to visit my brother and enjoy our family ranch—NO! NO DANCING, DANCING, DANCING FOR 2 MONTHS! I’ve never done that my whole life. My 1st poetry book in a four-book series was supposed to be out a month or so ago!

After all this time, it’s not over! The wound is still open and needs dressing. The nerve damage in my foot and ankle rages on. I’m having to adjust to taking Gabapentin again which makes me feel foggy! I took it for the neuralgia after shingles—I hate how I feel on it!

The one positive is the unbelievable support I’ve received from family and friends. I appreciate it more than you know. My niece and her family sent me a beautiful fleece blanket and shower steamers! I’m anxious to try the shower steamers because I’ve never heard of them.

Me with my new blanket - write

Haikus Since the Attack

Haiku - write

Usually, I write multiple haikus often in response to my online meditation, but I haven’t been able to attend as regularly as I like. I have three journals full of those inspired haikus.

Here’s a some I have written since the dog attack:

August 12, 2024

Gratitude saves me.

It keeps my eyes on the prize.

The prize is my God!

August 19, 2024

Is “walk in beauty”

In my future? Will I limp?

With God’s help, I won’t!

September 2, 2024

I danced in a cast

From my ankle to my thigh.

But I was 15!

Am I resilient?

Will this dog attack define?

I will come back strong!

September 6, 2024 – I led the international online meditation and chose a reading, “Transform It or Transmit It” from Father Richard Rohr’s devotional book, just this. He talks about “sacred wounds” which resonated with me with my wound. Could my God make it sacred? My haiku response:

Sacred wounds still hurt.

But Jesus helps transform them.

  1. I give them to Him!
  2. Make me willing, please!

(Remember the importance of the third line! So I provide an option here!)

The choice is mine now.

Negative, bitter or not?

I chose Jesus’ way.

Embrace your body!

God’s miraculous artwork.

Healing flows in me.

Sacred wounds abound.

With God’s help, I’ve transformed them.

Help me transform this!

Poetry, haiku, life’s experiences provide a rich source for topics for me. However, this is one I didn’t want to write about.

When Mom died, my poetry dried up for six weeks—I had nothing to say. Then at six weeks, the poetry flooded my notebooks about everything I had experienced. The same thing has happened with this tragedy except for my haikus shared here. The first six weeks, I cried and cried and focused on healing.

Then a couple weeks, I grabbed a journal and wrote my first poem about the experience, so know there’s more poetry coming about this experience.

Here’s possible topics:

  • The initial mauling
    • The owner’s reaction when he lifted my pant leg and saw the wound
    • My first reaction when I saw the wound
  • My brother’s response when he first saw my wound
  • My brother’s loving care when he drove me the 50 miles to Trinidad to the ER
  • The ER experience and the caring staff there
  • Lin’s first experience of seeing my wound
  • Walking with a cane
  • My visits to my primary care doctor when I returned home and her response
  • My visits to the Wound Clinic
    • Doing everything wrong for three weeks
    • Couldn’t stand watching what the nurse did
  • Showering with a cast cover
  • My visit to Urgent Care with fear of a blood clot or an obsess
  • The Wound Clinic nurse specialist testing for an infection and then the high-powered antibiotic
  • My reaction to the antibiotic
    • Burning toes
  • Hosting Hot August Nights and not getting to dance to my favorite caller and cuer
  • My adjusted schedule
  • Trouble sleeping
    • Toes, ankle and foot hurt
    • Wound hurt
  • Postponing the release of my next book, Was It a Dream?

As you can see, there is a lot of poetry percolating inside of me with this dog attack. I will take my time to focus on this, and I will share them with you when it’s appropriate!

Finally

This whole episode has broken my heart, but I will survive! I’m a survivor! And to write poetry will save my life, once again!

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Published by Larada Horner-Miller

Larada Horner-Miller is a poet, essayist and accomplished multi-genre author who holds a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in Spanish and a master of education degree in Integrating Technology into the Classroom. She is the accomplished author of eight award-winning biographies, historical fiction, memoir, and poetry works and three audiobook’s plus three self-published cookbooks. Her most recent book, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry is a finalist in the Global Book Awards. As is our book released last year, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir. Horner-Miller has also been a past national presenter at the Women Writing the West Conference and is currently the creator of Memoir Workshops for others who want to share their family’s legacies through words. Larada and her husband, Lin, enjoy being nestled in the mountains above Albuquerque, New Mexico, near the village of Tijeras. When not writing books, this passionate, energetic, and enthusiastic woman loves to spend time kicking up her heels at square dancing gatherings, traveling, knitting, and reading. As co-manager of her family’s southeastern Colorado ranch, she enjoys spending time exploring her family’s historic ranch and reminiscing with her brother and his children about their mom, dad, and granddad.

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