Spouses are not like geese--they come and go; jobs come and go; friends come and go; almost everything on this planet is in a state of motion save one, and with apologies to feline owners, that one is the loyalty and affection of one's canine pet. Several months ago a good friend asked me to write a tribute to a dog, a Malamute that had recently passed. Having been raised in Alaska and having learned to read with Robert Service as opposed to Dick, Jane and Spot, I immediately wrote what follows. If you enjoy it, which I think you will and you are fortunate enough to have a dog of any breed or mix, give him a big nuzzle, pet and dog treat.
London’s Tribute
A dog is a man’s best
friend and a woman’s too
A joy with each bark
and howl to renew
A dog’s love and
loyalty never wanes, never aborts
When made by God, a
slight err, He made a dog’s life too short
Like novas, fads may
come and like novas, fads may go
But a Malamute can
run on memory trails longer than the melting of the deepest glacier snow
All dogs are special,
but Malamutes are a special breed
Who else in a dog
sled relay of 600 miles to Nome and diphtheria’s grip to be freed
The breed that saved
Nome’s children from diphtheria’s rage
Also on all fours on
the Bay, a tribute to Oakland’s to revival wage
London was a Malamute
and to his owners a very special, special friend
A Malamute with
loyalty that would never break, not even in the slightest bend
Like the North Star
of Love and Devotion, always there
140 pounds of fur
from breakfast to the napkins he would rarely share
Love of snow, love of
an owner that would never end
Licks, a petting
magnet, a playful tummy rub, to an owner a caring ear to lend
He may not have had a
Service or namesake author with a first name Jack,
But in the friend and
companion category, Blue Ribbons, he would never lack.
London never ran into
the wee hours of the Midnight Sun
Or in any dog sled
race with his speed he would most likely have won
Now sadly, far too
soon, with too much speed
The finish line
crossed, but with a new team to lead
Heaven may be sunny,
peaceful, but with a hint of Northern Lights, glacial ice and pristine snow
This poet knows that
God and His Angels must be waiting for London in the traces to take Them in tow
“Endurance-Loyalty-Intelligence”
words etched forever on a sled dog’s bronze statute
Add for London “and
with a love of owners, licks, play, napkins and howls” for a fitting tribute.”
© 6/14/2013 Michael
P. Ridley a/k/a the AlaskanPoet
No comments:
Post a Comment