{"id":802,"date":"2014-12-05T21:56:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-06T05:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/?p=802"},"modified":"2014-12-15T12:51:49","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T20:51:49","slug":"why-a-dog-barks-a-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/why-a-dog-barks-a-poem\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a Dog Barks, a poem"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When a dog hears another dog it responds with a hearty round of reciprocal barking.<br \/>\nThis is an unbroken chain, as long as there is a dog to answer the call and response.<br \/>\nIt is akin to the human game of telephone.<br \/>\nOne message is passed on continuously, dog to dog to dog.<br \/>\nThe message starts in China, like the flu.<br \/>\nIn the fall one dog barks.<br \/>\nIt is heard &#8217;round the world.<br \/>\nIt is understood only by dogs.<br \/>\nIt is an urgent message, spread urgently.<br \/>\nWhen it gets to the end, it no longer has any meaning. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When a dog hears another dog it responds with a hearty round of reciprocal barking. This is an unbroken chain, as long as there is a dog to answer the call and response. It is akin to the human game of telephone. One message is passed on continuously, dog to dog to dog. The message starts in China, like the flu. In the fall one dog barks. It is heard &#8217;round the world. It is understood only by dogs. It is an urgent message, spread urgently. When it gets to the end, it no longer has any meaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,12,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-my-books","category-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u13S-cW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4084,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/love-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":0},"title":"Love is","author":"David Raffin","date":"September 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I remind you Allen Ginsberg, near the end, said I was a god of storm. Love is more, more or lessLove isLove is a beast from the depths, risenLove is a contest you hope to win by entering 10,000 timesLove is a curse, bestowed on mankind by Eros; not knowing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2953.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2895,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/the-sophisticat\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":1},"title":"The Sophisticat","author":"David Raffin","date":"May 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I got a bit about how I don\u2019t understand the names that the baseball players have these days because they are ethnic in origin and the names are confusing to me because they sound like other words which I do know. Stop me if you heard this before. Before I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2025,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/a-tragedy-of-the-circus\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":2},"title":"Aghast in three rings","author":"David Raffin","date":"November 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Take me to the circus Where the devils dare To balance at the precipice Up there in mid-air Sitting like a thinker Ass upon a chair Did I leave the stove on? The devil's mind declared. Below the clown was crying Nose up sniffing in the air Now the daredevil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1282,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/a-proper-airing-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":3},"title":"A proper airing out","author":"David Raffin","date":"May 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A night out with the clown is not all it's cracked up to be. The clown strolls down the sidewalk his balloon hanging behind him, half inflated, like a dog being taken for a walk. What slim string holds a balloon to its master? It is convention. To a balloon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;My books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"My books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/my-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_4559.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1977,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/those-lizard-people-good-eggs\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":4},"title":"Those lizard people? Good eggs.","author":"David Raffin","date":"August 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s been\u2026 A terrible accident involving a li\u2019l scientist atomic pile kit. The rec-room has been evacuated. It\u2019s projected not to be safe for 100,000 years. I spilled root beer on the kit even though the instructions clearly stated no food no drink near kit. I have removed the aa\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/11130638724_a01b218bc5_b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1833,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/new-books-new-books-for-old\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":5},"title":"New Books! New Books for Old!","author":"David Raffin","date":"January 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Two NEW books for the New World. Sex Robot Cuddle Party & At the Existential Sandwich Shop;An older book: Perils of Free Thought: a book of no small danger\u00a0and my oldest books revised and reformatted for the world of the future, Scenic Cesspools (a novel of transgression) and Hard Fought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/covers.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/covers.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/covers.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/covers.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":803,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}