Zebo, An Alsatian

I’m among those who walk large, wolf-like white dogs
On rounds of trees, utility poles, and shrubs;
And I’m among those who see poles as equals,
Unlike large, wolf-like white dogs
Who are connoisseurs of poles
And know which are to be ignored
which are worthy of scant attention
which are worthy of intense attention
and which are worth fighting leash and master
or which are worth being dragged backward to the next pole
in a bizarre compromise between master’s reasons
for the walk and large, worl-like white dogs’
reasons for the walk.
I’m among those who walk large, wolf-like white dogs
Who have a need to plant their noses at odd spots in the ground
Sniffing and snorting until impatient masters
Uproot nose and all
And continue to the next tree, pole, or bush.
I’m among those who walk large, wolf-like white dogs
In a futile effort to keep certain activities centered around trees, poles, and bushes
Rather than around legs of chairs and couches
But I’m also among those who wash legs of chairs and couches
More often than I like,
Or care,
To admit
And all because a friend
Who recognizes a fool when she sees one
Abandoned her large, wolf-like,  large dog
In my living room
When she could no longer tolerate the damned thing
And couldn’t face taking it to the pound
Any more than I can face
Taking it to the pound.
I’m among those who walk large, wolf-like, white dogs
Incapable of walking straight lines,
Forever tracking nose-to-ground
Across the line of walk,
Scenting large, wolf-like white dogs know what,
Visiting garbage cans and fire hydrants,
Visiting seemingly empty spots of lawn,
Puffing and panting against the leash,
Finding importance where Isee nothing,
Racing madly into the restraint of the apparently forgotten leash
As some slight sound or scent
Excites curiosity or arouses antagonism or elicits hunting instincts.
I’m among those who walk large, wolf-like, white dogs
Marking territory, as they say,
Though I have no idea why one dog would have use
For so much territory
Or the capacity to keep it marked,
Keeping the territory free of trucks and busses and motorcycles
Through leash-aborted chases of one-tenth second duration
Followed by urgent visits to the nearest tree, pole, or shrub,
Keeping the territory free of never-seen rabbits and squirrels and
dogs and cats and whatever other important
denizens lurk menacingly in burrows or
houses or trees
Whining and moaning at scents and sounds
Followed forever by urgent visits to trees or poles or shrubs.
I’m among those 2ho walk large, wolf-like, white dogs,
Transforming them from docile, barely-animate objects lying in doorways,
in front of kitchen sinks
or wherever anyone is most likely
to stumble over or step on them
Into valiant, free-born, free-living hunters of anything that moves
And some thing things that don’t.
For an hour or so a day I walk a large, wolf-like, white dog
Which, I’m certain, has no idea of my purposes in enturing forth,
Discrepant as they are from his own purposes,
For I’m merely trying to remove a nuisance from the house
While he struggles valiantly to remove all nuisances from the neighborhood
With the same nuisances he’s used to remove me from the house.

Adrian

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1 Comment »

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   And know which are to be ignored which are worthy of scant attention which are worthy of intense attention and which are worth fighting leash […….

   Trackback by Kylie Batt — May 12, 2010 @ 5:51 pm

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