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What the Dog Saw One Night on the Beach

The turtles came at night
and hid their eggs; the dog,
unwanted stray, came down to eat.

When angels hatched
he barked and stared, head
cocked and ears erect.

The first of the angels
lifted her goddess eyes
to this desolate wind-scoured
world of stony hearts
setting moon, roaring sea.

The dog considered the angel
a moment (which would count
as seven moments in human time)

then he trotted back to town
and lay outside the souvenir stand
where the owner usually left
a bowl of scraps each morning.

—

For Magpie Tales #112

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Announcement: My book, Birds Nobody Loves, is on sale (15% off the paperback) throughout April in celebration of National Poetry Month. You can order it from Amazon or my e-store. I don’t know when (or if) the price will take effect at other retailers.

Published inPoems

6 Comments

  1. ha, i like this…i like that the dog catches the magic while the rest of us sleep…the 7 moments in human is a great touch…and off he goes to get the scraps…smiles…fun piece…

  2. […] to begin with James himself. I recommend his recently posted poem What the Dog Saw One Night on the Beach. . . . the dog, unwanted stray, came down to […]

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