Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Muti, My Boy - #dVerse #haibun #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro


Hello, beautiful readers! I spent this past weekend visiting my parents with my sister. They live two hours away in a condo on the beach, so I detached from all things electronic and just enjoyed being with them. We completed two long walks on the beach as well as one around the island. Unfortunately, the island walk landed around dusk, and I came back with thirty-nine mosquito bites. I should have turned around after the first bite, but I didn't, and now I suffer for it. Lol! I am allergic to mosquito bites, so I immediately swell up, and they feel like they are on fire until I can get some Benadryl cream on them. Then, they continue to flare up for days afterward. And I am a serious magnet for the suckers! Oh, well! I still enjoyed my time up there.

For this week's dVerse: Haibun Monday, Frank J Tassone invites us to focus on Momento Mori. He encourages us to write a haibun that memorializes someone we have loved and lost. My first brush with death (or at least, the one I remember) wasn't actually a person, and still it had a lasting effect on me, so I chose to write my haibun about him. I was hoping to use a picture of him, but everything is in storage as my house is still under construction. I may update this post later once I can get to my old photos. Until then, I'll use a generic picture.

(image courtesy of @MissKarin on Pixabay)

Muti, My Boy

He was my second mom. My parents named him Muti, a variation of mother in German, when they got him as a puppy two years before I was born. He truly lived up to the name. He was my protector, my guardian. When my mom took me out of my crib, he'd jump in to keep it warm. When I slept in the crib, he would lay on the floor beside me. As I grew up, he became my confidant and my cuddler. He'd play soccer with me. He was a better player than I. When I gave him a kiss and hug that morning as I left for my fifth grade class, I did not know it would be the last time I would see him. It's been decades since his passing, and my heart still misses him.

treasured memories
immortalized in my heart
after winter's end


Would you like to write a haibun for this prompt? Join us here.

12 comments:

  1. That first loved pet you will always remember... for me it as a kitten being killed by a car.

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    1. Oh, that's devastating, Bjorn! I'm so sorry you experienced that. :'(

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  2. Oh, this moved me, Yvette. I remember the loss of my beloved pets as well. They leave such a mark on our hearts. Well told!

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer! They are the purest form of love. Thanks for visiting! :-)

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  3. I felt this one, Yvette. It is hard to lose a pet lime that. I had a collie born on my birth day. He was around for sixteen years gor me. Beautiful tribute xo

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    1. Thank you, Denise! How blessed you were to have him around for so long! Thanks for sharing! :-)

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  4. Oh, I can see why his loss has stayed with you, Yvette. A beautiful touching poem. Our dogs are family members and we mourn them so deeply. Yes, update the photo someday - a lovely tribute. <3

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    1. Thank you, Diana! I appreciate you visiting. I will definitely try to remember to update the photo. :-)

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  5. Awww, what a special bond! We had a pet poodle growing up and he left many fond memories...

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  6. My mother wouldn't allow pets - she thought they harboured disease so I never experienced the wonderful relationship you describe with muti, Yvette...

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that, Andrew. My mom was allergic to pet dander, so she lived on allergy medicines because she refused to be without a dog. Thanks for sharing! :-)

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