The Sound of Scampering

Author Dainon Moody is a self-proclaimed wanderer on the fabled road of life. In The Sound of Scampering, his first collection of poetry, Moody explores the unique world around him through verse rich in imagery and sensory detail extracted from his life experiences over the course of more than twenty years.

While many of Moody’s poems cover relatable subjects, such as lost love, death, friendship, and nature, others offer an engaging, lighter look at life. He recalls what it is like to ride a runt calf, travel back in time to visit his newly wed parents, and sell roadside zucchini. With unguarded honesty, Moody contemplates the yearnings of his heart, his understandings of love, and his hopes for his future, ultimately encouraging others to do the same with their own unfinished lives.

My grandpa went quickly.

He forgot his granddaughter’s name short months before

she was by his hospital bed, playing hymns for him on her violin.

And, when they laid him in his grave, soldiers

shooting up the air, a folded American flag,

my cry was one I hadn’t the time to practice.

I lost all strength, some oxygen and time

nearby sisters keeping me from falling

my chest caving in. It’s the first and last time

I understand the depth of sadness

that gets forced into a sob.

—from “Three Cries (and None for Help)”