Darling, I Love You: Poems from the Hearts of Our Glorious Mutts and All Our Animal Friends

67 Pages·2017·7.747 MB·English

by  Daniel Ladinsky, Patrick McDonnell

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PENGUIN BOOKS
DARLING, I LOVE YOU
DANIELLADINSKY isoneofthemostsuccessfullivingwriters
in the worldworking with poetry. His work has reached
millionsofpeople.DaniellivedinIndiaforsixyears,where
hevolunteeredinarural clinic,freetothepoor,andwas
astudentoftheessenceandunity ofall faiths. Ladinsky’s
otherPenguinbooksincludeTheGift,LovePoemsfromGod,
TheSubjectTonightIsLove,IHeardGodLaughing,AYearwith
Hafiz,andhisRumicollection,ThePurityofDesire.Once,
when Daniel was asked a reason for his accomplishments
andwhetherhehadanyadviceforotherartists,hequoteda
linefromanoldBroadwaymusicalthatwent,“You’vegotta
haveheart,milesandmilesandmilesofheart!”
PATRICK MCDONNELL is the creator of the comic strip
MUTTS,whichdebutedin1994andappearsinoverseven
hundrednewspapersintwenty-twocountries.MUTTShas
beenanthologizedintwenty-fivebooksintheUnitedStates
andinnumerouscollectionsthroughouttheworld.Hehas
created adozen children’s books, including the Caldecott
Honor–winningMe . . . Jane,abiographyofJaneGoodall,
and the New York Times bestselling The Gift of Nothing.
McDonnell collaborated with Eckhart Tolleon Guardians
ofBeing:SpiritualTeachingsfromOurDogsandCats.Heisa
memberoftheboardofdirectorsoftheHumaneSocietyof
theUnitedStates,theFundforAnimals,andtheCharlesM.
SchulzMuseum.
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Darling, I Love You
Poems from the Hearts of
Our Glorious Mutts
and All Our Animal Friends
DANIEL LADINSKY
Illustratedby
PATRICK McDONNELL
PENGUIN BOOKS
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PENGUIN BOOKS A CONVERSATION BETWEEN LOVERS
AnimprintofPenguinRandomHouseLLC
375HudsonStreet
NewYork,NewYork10014 Ihavebeenworkingwiththefourteenth-centuryPersianpoet
penguin.com
Hafizfortwenty-five years,alongwithothergreatpoet-saints
Textcopyright©2017byDanielLadinsky EastandWest.Someofmyworkwiththemappearsinmybest-
Illustrationscopyright©2017byPatrickMcDonnell sellingPenguinanthology,LovePoemsfromGod.Itrytobringto
Penguinsupportscopyright.Copyrightfuelscreativity,encouragesdiverse lifetheirwonderfulspiritandrevealsomethingoftheirremark-
voices,promotesfreespeech,andcreatesavibrantculture.Thankyouforbuying
ablegivingheartandvitalcompassion,andtheirgiftofgeniusto
anauthorizededitionofthisbookandforcomplyingwithcopyrightlawsby
notreproducing,scanning,ordistributinganypartofitinanyformwithout theworld,asRalphWaldoEmersonandGoetheattemptedwith
permission.YouaresupportingwritersandallowingPenguin Hafiz.Hafizwasamasterofwit,profundity,andlove,andafew
tocontinuetopublishbooksforeveryreader. linesofhis,asrenderedbyme,seemappropriatehere:
“TheSacraments,”“FirstHeLookedConfused,”and“DoesEveryCreatureHave
aSoul?”appearedinLovePoemsfromGod:TwelveSacredVoicesfromtheEast Artisaconversationbetweenlovers,
andWest(PenguinBooks).Copyright©2002byDanielLadinsky. artcanopenthedoortomanysuns.
“TheAnointment,”“OneRegret,”and“Adios”appearedinAYearwithHafiz:
DailyContemplations(PenguinBooks).Copyright©2011byDanielLadinsky. Artcanstirthedivinesilenceinthe
“JustSitThere”appearedinTheSubjectTonightIsLove:60WildandSweetPoems soultosinginanecstaticapplause.
ofHafiz(PenguinBooks).Copyright©2003byDanielLadinsky.
Thebeautyofartisithelpsustoknow
EbookISBN:9780525503705
ourownwonder,andthatinallthatis.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Names:Ladinsky,DanielJames,author.|McDonnell,Patrick,1956–illustrator. Maysomethinginthissweetandbeautifulbookaidyourwings
Title:Darling,Iloveyou:poemsfromtheheartsofourgloriousmuttsand intastingtheskyandtoblessedlysmile.AndIbetRumiand
allouranimalfriends/DanielLadinsky;illustratedbyPatrickMcDonnell.
Hafiz—andSaintFrancis,whoseworkIhavealsointerpreted—
Description:NewYork:PenguinBooks,[2017]
Identifiers:LCCN2016032732(print)|LCCN2016036648(ebook)|ISBN wouldhavebowedtodearPatrick,andmaybedo,whoprotectsso
9780143128267(paperback)|ISBN9780698407336(ebook) manyofGod’screatureswithhisgreattalents,andlife.
Subjects:LCSH:Human-animalrelationships—Poetry.|Pets—Poetry|BISAC:
POETRY/American/General.|PETS/Essays.|HUMOR/Form/Comic —DanielLadinsky
Strips&Cartoons.
Taos,NewMexico,2016
Classification:LCCPS3612.A365A62017(print)|LCCPS3612.A365(ebook)|
DDC811/.6—dc23
SetinBembo
DesignbyJeffSchulz
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WORDS AND PICTURES
Comic strips and haiku are, in some ways, kindred spirits.
Whetherit’sthreepanelsorseventeensyllables,theycansaya
lotwith alittle.Thecartoonist andthepoetbothchipaway
attheirworkinordertorevealitsessence.Asyoucontinueto
refineand“letgo,”youultimatelydiscoverthattheonlything
leftstandingislove.
Daniel’s poems magically capture these precious moments of
clarityandbliss.Hiswordsbringuspresenceandaninnersmile
withthesameeaseandplayfulnessasourbelovedcompanion
animals.
ItwasajoyandhonortohavetheMUTTSgangbeapartof
hisworld.
Letthesepoemscurluponyourlapandsootheyourheart.
Yep.
—PatrickMcDonnell
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loveisrespecting
thebeingswhocan’tspeak
andtreatingthem
asif
they
could
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BegintheBeguine
haveyou
everheardof
ColePorter?
iamnotsure?
hewrote
thatveryfamoussong
Begin theBeguine
thereisaline
inthatsongthat
maybeall—
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themountains
andtheskyandtherivers
andtheoceans
andalltheplanets
andallthe
flowers
andalltheforests
andallthedeserts
andalltheanimals,
andallthefields
yes,alltheanimals
andallthefish—
singtous
alldaylong,butwejust
can’thearthem
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