Doggerel
The rowdy dogs that frolic in the park
may run, and jump, and gambol playfully,
but all dogs when they spy a likely tree
must lift a nether leg and leave a mark.
Some dogs must growl at every bird and frog,
and some must leave their stools upon the street,
and some must bark at every other dog,
and some must snap at every poor man's feet.
A man who's being dogged must learn to fight,
to put the boots to any mangy cur
that's troubled by the fleas amidst its fur
and make the mongrel yowl! Then doggie might
run off to find a more defenceless bone
and leave the weary traveller alone.
~~
George J. Dance, 2007
from Doggerel, and other doggerel, 2015.
[All rights reserved - used with permission]
Peter Wadsworth, American Foxhound and black Labrador Retriever playing with stick, 2007.
Your poem George Dance, fact not fiction. Love the word 'gambol', rarely used, poet's love words. 'Nether leg', hee hee! This could be titled, 'The Characteristics of Dogs', encompassing synopsis. I've had dogs in my long lived life and all that had enriched my experience came flooding back. I've encountered a few 'mangy curs' in my life... I'd say 'mangy cur' as being unkind with psychopathic tendencies. Enjambment, iambic pentameter done well. "... to find a more defenceless bone..." Love this phrase, belongs in your poem. Isn't this what metaphorical dogs do, pick on those half their size. And I'd state, "Not doggerel at all." Me, "Throwing you a bone." 🥰
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