“Look out for the dog…”
Beyond any line of sight,
vanished up a lane
in this labyrinthine,
underground,
terrain,
his words echo out —
a sonic ripple stroked
against the air –
and find their mark.
Warning or instruction?
Unclear as compressed,
unspooling dark.
And then,
sudden as a ghost,
it appears –
the forewarned dog…
A great white beast,
indiscriminately splotched
in charcoal spots.
Prick eared.
Whip tailed.
Smooth fur, close-coated.
Just off the path, it waits…
Great rosy tongue, a‘lolling.
Shell-pink pale muzzle
upturned in doggy grin.
A creature far from
fearsome.
Continue in accord
through enfolding dark;
left arm slung over
the great dog’s muscled,
lambent,
milk-white shoulders;
draped across its thick neck;
until…
Until…
Furred flesh shifts and
shivers;
morphs;
transforms.
Exchanges canine shape
for human;
woman.
Tall, straight-spined;
strong, clear-eyed.
Tireless companion.
Fearsome guide.
Warrior.
Side by side,
press on as one —
together —
through the dark.
— C.Birde, 12/20