Bark: Selected Poems About Dogs

Anyone who has known a canine companion should find a portrait of his or her friend somewhere in this book. The volume is an anthology of verse which touches on love, loss, friendship, ageing, death and the beyond - the entire scope of the human condition. It features poetry by Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Louise Gluck, Langston Hughes, Denise Levertov, Philip Levine, James Merrill, W.S. Merwin, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Dorothy Parker, Adrienne Rich, Rainer Maria Rilke, Charles Simic, Miguel de Unamumo, John Updike, Richard Wilbur, William Carlos Williams, William Wordsworth and others. The 30 poems are presented with charcoal illustrations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821226649
• ISBN13: 9780821226643
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Bulfinch Pr
• Length: 63 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.3" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 13 years and up

Customer Reviews

A great book for everyone who loves dogs!

I absolutely LOVE this book! The collection of poems are as diverse as the canines they describe. My favorite poem in the book is "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House" (Billy Collins). Despite its title, the actual poem has NOTHING to do with shooting the neighbor's dog. I think the author named it that to set the tone as to how angry a person can get with the sound of incessant barking. But the good news is how he tries to cope. He puts on a Beethoven symphony to try and drown out the dog but suddenly, in his mind's eye, he imagines the dog as part of the orchestra. It just gets funnier and funnier and in the end he attributes Beethoven's success to his famous "barking dog" solo! Hilarious! The hardest poem to read because it is truly heartbreaking and it is about a puppy, is "Dog's Death" (John Updike). And yet, despite the devastating content, it is a beautiful and moving piece. This collection of poems includes many famous writers: John Updike (as mentioned), Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, William Wordsworth - the list is quite impressive. A truly wonderful and beautiful book! The illustrations alone are worth the price!!!

A mixed - but delightful - bag of poems about dogs

"Bark" is a small collection of poems about dogs (there are 26 pieces, to be exact). While some of the poems are of the cute and cuddly variety that you'd find in gift books, others are more serious, tackling issues such as death, loss and grieving. All are beautiful, except for a few that are a bit disturbing; for instance, in "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House", Billy Collins entertains thoughts of shooting his neighbor's noisy dog. Such vignettes are the exception, though, and the only reason I gave "Bark" 4 stars instead of 5. There are also very vivid and lifelike sketches throughout the book, adding to the poetry's allure. My favorite poem? "Dachshund", by William Jay Smith - since my first dog was (and still is) a Doxie (and the sketch looks uncannily like him, wrinkles and all!): The Dachshund leads a quiet life Not far above the ground;He takes an elongated wife,They travel all around.