This week’s Featured Poet is Daniel Watkins


Daniel Watkins has just finished an MA in Creative Writing at Newcastle. He likes writing, but is sometimes unsure about whether writing likes him. He tends to write poems concerning trivial and ordinary things because quite often they turn out to be the most interesting.

Stalemate

A dog sees himself in glass.
He has never seen himself before.
He does not recognise himself.
A first half-second of curiosity
lowers his head and heightens his back,
lowers the other dog’s head
and heightens the other dog’s back,
before commanding instinct
releases frontline barks.
The enemy barks equally,
and he retreats,
the other dog retreats,
skidding backwards over tiles
with a sound like
vehicles driving over stones.
He approaches again.
The other dog does likewise.
A second wave of courageous attack is
returned with still equal veracity.
A leap back this time
– looks almost playful –
but no fear.
He stares defiance at the other dog.
The other dog stares too.
Nose to nose
their eyes match,
an unending
stalemate

Want to see your poems featured here? Drop me a line to claire@onenightstanzas.com!

(Photo by …stephanie…)

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6 Responses to “This week’s Featured Poet is Daniel Watkins”

  1. William Soule Says:

    Hurray! I love dog poems. This one is funny.

  2. One Night Stanzas » Blog Archive » More from Featured Poet Daniel Watkins Says:

    […] from Featured Poet Daniel Watkins Daniel’s poem from yesterday was Stalemate — interview and the final poem tomorrow. In the meantime, […]

  3. Regina Says:

    Oh, this was wonderful!
    :)

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