RESPECT

On a wall near my kitchen hangs a whiteboard, a space for grandkids to draw or write or doodle. It also bears a list of household expectations in the form of an acrostic that spells RESPECT.

In response to this week’s dVerse Poetics prompt on The Seven Grandfather teachings, I have expanded the acrostic, adding haiku (or haiku adjacent 5-7-5’s) to reflect on each point. Herewith: RESPECT.

Respond when spoken to.

    nocturnal creatures
    turn skyward their plaintive calls
    answered by the night
	
Exhale, don’t explode.

    fire breathes hot and harsh
    wind goads it into fury
    water stills the breath	

Share

    sun shines and rain falls
    life-sustaining to us all
    flowers do not hoard

Politeness

    Wildlife etiquette?
    Was the lion ever told
    “Chew with your mouth closed?”
	
Expect good things

    each spring life unfolds
    hibernators search out food
    seedlings seek the sun

Contribute

    fast dive, talons splayed
    the prey snagged and now airborne
    there are mouths to feed

Tell the truth

    “Who?” asks the barred owl.
    “Me, me, me,” says the catbird.	
    Northern flicker laughs.

10 thoughts on “RESPECT”

I enjoyed this poem, especially these lines, “Wildlife etiquette?Was the lion ever told“Chew with your mouth closed?”I prefer wildlife etiquette, to the alternative. Very well intentioned and crafted!

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Maggie C on April 29, 2026 at 10:19 am said:

Thank you.

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Very much enjoyed… from your acrostic to the expansion. It also is so different from the thug’s version of respect which is what they get with a gun in their hand.

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