Slam+Poetry

__** Love is like owning a dog **__** B **** y: Taylor **** Mali **
First of all, it's a big responsibility especially in a city like New York So think long and hard before deciding on love. On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security: when you're walking down the street late at night and you have a leash on love ain't no one going to mess with you. Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable. Who knows what love could do in its own defense?

On cold winter nights, love is warm. It lies between you and lives and breathes and makes funny noises. Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs. It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.

Love doesn't like being left alone for long. But come home and love is always happy to see you. It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life, but you can never be mad at love for long.

Is love good all the time? No! No! Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.

Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there. Love needs lots of cleaning up after. Sometimes you just want to get love fixed. Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper and swat love on the nose, not so much to cause pain, just to let love know Don't you ever do that again!

Sometimes love just wants to go for a nice long walk. Because love loves exercise. It runs you around the block and leaves you panting. It pulls you in several different directions at once, or winds around and around you until you're all wound up and can't move.

But love makes you meet people wherever you go. People who have nothing in common but love stop and talk to each other on the street.

Throw things away and love will bring them back, again, and again, and again. But most of all, love needs love, lots of it. And in return, love loves you and never stops.

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Poetic Devices:

Throughout the whole poem, "love" is represented as a dog. (Personification)

"Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love." (Repetition)

"Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there. (Repetition) of the word LOVE at the start of the lines  Love needs lots of cleaning up after."

Keywords or Phrases: "Love", "But most of all, love needs love, lots of it. And in return, love loves you and never stops.", "Throw things away and love will bring them back, again, and again, and again."

Theme: "Love is like owning a dog" compares the feelings surrounding love to the feelings you have towards a dog, showing how they are so similar. For example it says, "Love doesn't like being left alone for long. But come home and love is always happy to see you." Taylor Mali is explaining how love and dogs both have their ups and downs. Dogs and love can be very rewarding but at the same time can be somewhat frustrating. Love and dogs are never perfect.