As I come down the hill,
the dog I talk to barks
but not at me.
A man in the yellow shirt
of a Council worker
strides through the gate
followed by three or four
schoolgirls in grey skirts
and sky-blue tops, shapeless.
He enters the house.
They cluster on the veranda.
I'm too far away for details
but then they run
squealing and giggling
through the side gate
to the next yard
with the trampoline,
and they bounce.
In the doorway
of the house of the dog,
a young girl stands.
She is wearing a grey skirt
and a sky-blue top, shapeless.
She lingers, staring out.
When I return that way
fifteen minutes later,
there is no-one at all —
only my friend the dog
waits for me to reach
through the slats of the fence.
I scratch behind his silky ears.
When I leave, he gives for his people
a pretend guard-dog bark.
ha. th guard dog bark at the end made me grin...i love people watching as well so this tickled that spot for me...i'd be making up stories about them the rest of the day...
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a neighbor dog that you visit.
ReplyDeleteSo vivid... lovely scene painted here.
ReplyDeleteI kept hoping nothing bad was going to happen, just a bounce through a scene full of color and sound, all is well.
ReplyDeleteWith detail and insight, you share the essentials of the scene and allow your reader to intuit the rest. This is smart writing.
ReplyDeleteLovely images !
ReplyDeleteha...love that pretend guard-dog bark!
ReplyDeleteThanks, friends. It was a 'small stone' (a polished moment of paying attention) that grew!
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I am familiar with that 'pretend guard dog bark.' As is said, the bark is often worse than the bite.
ReplyDeleteThe happiness in others is so well described here by the girls giggling and squealing.
ReplyDeleteThe pretend dog bark at the end really made me smile. :)
i like how you capture the scene here...a fleeting moment penned to paper...like a movie scene snapshot...almost a bit surreal as well with the shapeless
ReplyDelete"pretend guard dog" ! had me smiling
ReplyDeleteRosemary, what a lovely poem--I could see everyone, and the pretend guard dog bark--great! Made me laugh. Love those silky ears too :-)
ReplyDeleteDogs, council men, school girls pulling pranks, a woman walking..peace time exercises. Fear seems far away and yet a closer look might reveal a lot more. Perhaps this is symbolic of a world where normalcy seems to reside, but in the interior of hearts and minds, a good guard dog is warranted.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think the man was the father of the girl in the doorway, and that he forbade her to go and play with the others. He probably said, 'Homework first!' But I wanted to stay with external description.
DeleteI believe in spirits and I believe dogs and accepting humans can see and welcome them. A timely and engrossing write. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI think so too, Beth. :)
DeleteHe's getting his bone under false pretenses!
ReplyDeleteAs often there are activities of neighbors tend to impinge on us. We can offer help but otherwise we don't bother them. But a guard dog is reassuring! Nicely Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteHank