Slam+Poetry

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**In the poem “Why falling in love is like owning a dog”, Taylor Mali symbolized the word ‘Love’ as a dog, describing how being in love and dog can be same. As he was talking, he started by talking how it was able to be good, but then he shifted to about how it was also able to be bad. Taylor uses the hyperbole “Don’t you ever do that again!” In order to create one of the commonly known sentences that almost all the dog owners said to their dogs at least one time, when they did something bad. ** **In my opinion, Taylor Mali was trying to tell the listeners and readers that Love can be as same as owning a dog, in both good and bad way. Some of the examples are “It is a big responsibility”, “Who knows what love could do in its defense?”, and “Is love good all the time? No! No!”. Of all the poems of Taylor Mali, I choose this one because I, myself is a dog owner. And while I was looking him up on youtube, I happened to see the title “why falling in love is like owning a dog ”. I decided to look at it, and he was telling me exactly what my dog used to do, “On cold winter nights, love is warm.”, “Love makes messes. Love leaves you little surprises here and there. Love needs lots of cleaning up after.”. Everything I knew about my dog, Taylor Mali had compared to being in love. ** **Nice connection to your own experiences. ** **30/36**

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. Somethimes 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 out for a nice long walk. Because love loves exercise. It will run you around the block and leave you panting, breathless. Pull you in different directions at once, or wind itself around and around you until you’re all wound up and you cannot 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.