“Ode for a Dog”
You became a cosmonaut,
the Moscow stray taken away
from those frozen city streets–
your unlooked-for honor: to make history,
to reach the heavens.
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I wondered if they gave you a view,
one last look at the world you left behind,
or was that denied you along with escape,
buried in darkness before you ran out of breath
among those distant lonely stars?
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A window might have stopped your heart:
Earth’s cobalt blue oceans, pale frosted poles,
rust-colored deserts receding framed in fire as you hurtled
hurled into that azure vault, afraid and alone.
You survived that long.
.
Where is your constellation? My heart breaks
for you, dear sweet dog, your three short years
had not prepared you for such betrayal.
A statue honors you as hero, Laika.
You made history,
.
yet I can’t help these thoughts
creeping unwanted into my dreams:
you would have rather shivered on Earth,
lived on scraps, unnoticed and unknown,
than burned through the heavens alone.
.
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*Since this month marks the 50th Anniversary of a man walking on the moon, I wanted to share a poem I wrote in honor of another astronaut. I wrote the poem after reading of Laika’s flight, and yes, she did have a view. The video is available, if you don’t mind crying.
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Upcoming Events
Saturday, July 27th
Literary Cleveland’s INKubator Writers’ Conference:
This all day conference is FREE and takes place at the Cleveland Main Library. It’s an incredible opportunity to take workshops, support local writers, and take part in Cleveland’s vibrant literary community!
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Saturday, August 3rd @ 1pm
Author Talk and Poetry Reading at Snowball Bookshop in Barberton. I will be giving a short talk about my journey to becoming a published writer, followed by a poetry reading from my book, Soul Picked Clean.
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Friday, August 9th @ 7pm – 9pm
Writing Knights sWord Fight: This time I will be competing against motivational speaker and all-time awesome poet Adam Spells!
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Saturday, August 10th @ 10am – 1pm
Local Author’s Fair at Dorrie’s Booktique in Canton. I will be there with copies of my book, along with several other local authors from the North Canton The Write Stuff writing group.
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Saturday, August 10th @730pm
Poetry Reading at Visible Voice bookstore! I’m thrilled to be reading alongside the fantastic Sara Minges and Juliet Cook. It’s going to be a great poetry event!
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Wednesday, August 21st @7pm – 9pm
Latitudes Poetry Night at Compass Coffee in Akron. There is a featured reader, followed by an Open Mic.
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Thank you for visiting my blog. I’ll post again in two weeks, but, in the meantime, I hope you have a lovely time enjoying books and poetry!
*Image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons Universal License.
Cat Russell 