
Thanks to veera Batlu for sharing their work on Unsplash.
Author, about age 4, on the Saskatchewan ranch
Featuring Buddy, camp mascot and head of security, Edmonton 2020
Mary had a little lab
his coat was dirt and roll
and everywhere that Mary went
he wagged his smile behind her
CHILDREN HAVE
Children have a great sense of smell
Maybe that’s why
their diapers make them cry
their first
breast sends them
on a lifelong quest
and a cinnamon bun
can stop us all in the mall
On a farm there’s hay
before it goes into the cow
and hay when it comes out
The pungency of pig, the foul of fowl
Rain before the first drop falls
and the whip of lightning after it cracks
Smoke on dad’s clothes from the prairie fire
snuff from the round box cutting his shirt
The dog, even wet, not diminished in love
If lost in a blizzard, or in the dark
it is always best to let go of the reins
so the horse’s nose can point you home
Lost in the world at four a.m.
twice blessed if yours can do the same
UNDER THE PORCH
The thing about parents is they see you
as they’d like you to be, and you ain’t
The thing about teachers and coaches
is they see you getting all those A’s
and scoring on every play, and you cain’t
The thing about dogs is
Hey, quit lickin’ on my face you fool
FOR VICTOR
The only trick an old dog can learn
is how to be an old dog
The minimum of turns one has to take
before lying down for that nap
That a bark is as good as a chase
for keeping squirrels off the deck
And that after all these years
of standing up for your standing friends
you’ve likely earned their kneeling by you now