Ears twisted to the wind,
Mouth agape in a toothy grin,
I squint and press against the ties
That keep me from two blinking eyes
Wreathed in maple. Flicking tail
Has left a garbage-scented trail
Like a speedy, furry snail
Up chain-links, along a rail.
Oh to shake my shackles free,
To stretch my muscles up a tree
And feel some moss beneath my paw
And crunchy fuzzy in my maw
To pant the sunshine still, unbound
And cur a reputable hound
And dig nails deep in loamy peat,
‘Stead of grinding stained concrete.
What joy! to face the faceless foam
O’er craggy beaches sharp-eyed roam
And chase the wool still on the sheep
At night to know I’ve earned my keep–
Nipped the heels of wandering prey,
Surprised the pheasant where she lay.
And rest beneath the moon-bright skies
‘Stead of street-lit ceiling tiles.
Taking pause in a moment’s shade
I tilt my nose to the dream I made
And to a breeze that found its way
–Expelled by wild one’s distant bray,
Avoiding idling heated haze, and
Winding through a pavement maze–
To touch the yellowed city leaves,
The taste of freedom long bereaved.
Finding me and my master there
It raised the skin beneath our hair.
Beans Repository 