Having a Dog
With honesty, humor, and tenderness, Chima Naira Ikoro explores the quiet ways a dog can become an anchor, a companion, and sometimes the reason to begin again.
"Great. Not only is she alive, she has chosen living today. She has chosen herself... and in turn she has chosen me too."
I hope you’ll click on the video below to experience her poem, “Having a Dog” in her own voice.
Invitation: “She has chosen me …”
A Commons Practice
We build community by showing up for one another.
Communities aren’t built all at once. They grow through small acts of welcome, curiosity, generosity, and presence.
Whether you leave a comment, join a Community Table, or simply carry today’s reflection into your day, you’re helping to weave the Commons.
→ There’s a place for you at Community Table.
Chima Naira Ikoro is an interdisciplinary writer, poet, editor, host, teaching artist, skatepark advocate, and screenwriter. She enjoys teaching poetry to articulate the struggles she has with mental health. Her hope this is that others who have similar struggles experience freedom in expressing themselves.
Below is a post I came across on Instagram. I couldn’t help myself. I immediately sent it to Sam, my kids, and a few friends.
It made me smile. Chima Ikoro invited people to celebrate her birthday. Nothing elaborate. Just an invitation. “Come celebrate with me.”
And people did.
Thousands of strangers answered. Some drove for hours. They brought a DJ, pickles, Frisbees, potted plants, and most importantly, themselves. Watching it reminded me that maybe community begins more simply than we imagine.
It begins with someone saying, “I’d love for you to join me.”
And someone else answering, “I’ll be there.”
Then another.
And another.
We spend so much time wondering how to build community. Maybe the first step isn’t building anything at all. Maybe it’s simply extending an invitation and seeing what unfolds.
We will meet for the Community Table every Monday at 4:30 pm or 8:00 pm (EST) - Go to our calendar at this link for details: https://courageouscommons.com/events/
July Courageous Citizen
Dr. Paul Farmer
For our July Americans Who Tell the Truth feature, we chose Dr. Paul Farmer because he spent his life living into the belief that we have a moral responsibility to accompany those who suffer. He didn’t simply talk about equity. He embodied it. Whether someone lived in a remote village or a place forgotten by the rest of the world, he believed no one should be beyond the reach of care.
https://americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/dr-paul-farmer/
Of having a dog.... of her dog, Chima Ikoro says: "Great. Not only is she alive, she has chosen living today. She has chosen herself... and in turn she has chosen me too." For those of us who love dogs, who have had dogs in our lives, or have dogs now... this video poem is a wonderful tribute to dogs and their place in our lives.
They help us get up…
emotional support dogs,
some caring humans.