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Dog Lines

The Wolf Who Cried Boy

Once there was a young wolf who lived with his pack high in the mountains, near a small village. Every day the pack went hunting, each wolf in its own direction.

One day the young wolf, finding no food, grew bored. To amuse himself, he threw back his head and gave the special howl that means, "I have found human prey."

The other wolves came running, but when they found there was nothing to catch, they went away grumbling, and the young wolf had a good laugh at their expense.

The next day the young wolf played the same trick, and again the other wolves came running, only to find nothing to eat. They scolded the young wolf and warned him not to play the same trick again, before stalking away through the trees.

The very next day the young wolf actually did see a boy walking in a field near the forest, and he gave his howl once more, but no wolves came. They were all fed up with his tricks.

So the young wolf leapt on the boy and ate it up all by himself.

Moral: Sometimes practical jokes can pay off in a big way.

September 22 2015
 

Denial

To pick a red leaf from a tree
is to admit the possibility
of fall, which I will never do
however bright the jewel
shines at me.

September 20 2015

Pope Francis

I dreamed about the pope last night.
His unusual car was caught in traffic
on an American highway,
and the roadside was thronged with faithful.
Actually, at one point a fight broke out,
which didn't seem good,
and as another man waved hopefully, the pope turned away,
raising his hand in distracted benediction.
He still smiled, but I thought he looked a little harried.
It seemed like a sudden test of faith,
but I had little fear that he would fail;
even in the middle of the world,
I felt, he could stay a good man.

September 5 2015

Storm and Hound

I had wondered that very day
where all the summer storms were,
so when he leaned his palpitating flank into my chest
and showed me the color of his back teeth in his panting grin,
I was not surprised,
and I could hold him through the thunder and the sudden light
and remind him they are here but soon
the cicada darkness will return,
and you, my friend, will still have nameless prey to chase
through one hot night into another,
and so on till the Fall.

August 31 2015