"THE WILD DOG'S LIFE"
A wild dog’s life is simple,
Though not a life of ease,
A new perspective I will give,
We live a life of need.
These needs seem to control us
And dominate our lives,
But every day I wonder if
Those needs are but a lie.
You see each day is ours to conquer,
No schedule do we keep,
But then this need, it comes upon us,
It is the need to sleep.
In a field or ‘neath a shade tree,
Or under a starry sky,
You long for the dog’s life
As you see us standing by.
But turn not from my story now,
Listen, and listen well,
And find that a sleeping dog’s life,
Is but a step from hell.
For in a moment awakened,
Something moves inside of me.
And I am hungry, O’ so hungry,
It is the need to eat.
In town I’d find some garbage scraps,
In the woods a little beast,
But once I had been satisfied,
I quickly returned to sleep.
And by this I was not threatened,
I counted it a treasure gold,
When a dog who was lazier than I,
Was welcomed in the fold.
Is it still the dog’s life
Your heart is yearning for?
You do not have a clue my friend,
For there is much, much more.
My story soon will be quite clear,
For now receive this light,
The dark side of a wild dog’s life -
It is the need to fight!
But fight for what? I’ll ask you now,
Can you tell me the time,
To rise against my fellow dog,
Or maybe take his life?
He is a dog with fur and tail,
And teeth and eyes to see,
Yet he must prove he’s better,
Or sometimes it is me.
So snarl and growl, bark and bite,
Our pride to satisfy,
One will win this foolish fight,
And one might even die.
And when the fight is over,
Always loss, there is no gain.
All that we have really proved
Is that dogs can be quite vain.
The need to fight, I do not think
Is how it should be said.
Instead I think that we are bored,
And but a step from dead.
Are you listening carefully?
Are you listening my friend?
My story is not over,
For now it just begins.
There is a need that I admit,
I say with no disgrace,
This wild dog loves, yea even lives
To enter in the chase.
But not just any chase, my friend,
A chase that’s grand, divine.
A chase that challenges my life,
And captivates my mind.
No, not the little foxes,
I’ve chased them all before.
But they are quickly caught, consumed
And I am quickly bored.
Then one day it happened,
I never will forget.
Something rolling through the air,
My appetite it whet.
I raised my nose up to the sky,
I rose up to my feet,
And then I saw the other dogs,
Just as alert as me.
Salvador was the leader
Of our motley twelve dog pack.
His fur was golden yellow,
With red stripes down His back.
This is the one you’ve waited for,
He said with a gleam in His eye.
This is the fox that if you would catch,
Will surely cost your life.
Raise your snout into the air,
Breathe that scent, that smell.
Learn it, learn it, learn it,
Learn it, learn it well!
And when you cannot see me,
Raise your snout into the air,
Pick up the scent and follow,
And know that I am there.
I felt my heart increase its beat,
My pulse began to swell,
As stronger, ever stronger,
Came that scent, that smell.
And then without a warning,
Like a fiery bolt of light,
Our leader turned and hurled Himself
Into the dark of night.
We stood for but a moment,
And looked in each other’s eyes,
We knew just what the cost would be,
But only guessed as to the prize.
And if we were to catch this fox,
We could no longer delay,
For the task became much larger,
As the scent began to fade.
It must stay fresh upon our nose,
Our purpose must be clear,
We will catch this mighty fox,
TALLY HO!!! Will be our cheer.
My nostril flared, my muscles tensed,
I leapt from out my place,
My paws did pound upon the ground,
And thus began the chase.
But do not think you know my friend,
What I was racing for.
The prize was not found in the fox,
The prize was something more.
No longer driven by a need,
To sleep or even eat,
Instead I was in full control
Of that which once held me.
Are you listening closely?
Are you listening my friend?
The prize is this: A life well-lived,
With purpose to its end.
I’d stop to eat, I’d stop to sleep,
Exhaustion told me when,
But once my strength had been renewed
The chase was on again!
And as for fighting, learn this truth,
We did not have the time!
We’d found the challenge of our life,
To captivate our mind.
For we did not chase blindly
A Fox we could not see.
We knew he was a shrewd one,
So we ran with a strategy.
We did not judge nor threaten,
Newcomers to the pack.
We boldly shared our vision,
And set them on his track.
This track, this trail, the grandest prize,
Some dogs just would not see.
Still others entered in the chase,
It would not die with me.
Now learn this old dog’s lesson,
Learn it, learn it well.
For each dog fallen by the side,
Let three more join the swell!
Ensure the chain is not broken,
Ensure the chase will go on.
Invest yourself in some wild dog’s life,
And show him the race to run.
So do not think you see me now,
A feeble dog near death.
My light will shine still brightly
When I’ve offered my last breath.
For I’ve taught other wild dogs,
This I taught them well,
I taught them how to raise their snout,
I taught them how to smell.
Another thing I taught them,
The most important one,
I taught them all a strategy,
I lived and taught “The Run.”
Now you have heard my story,
Did you listen well?
Are you longing for the dog’s life,
That’s but a step from hell?
The challenge is before you,
Will you multiply the swell?
Go and enter in the chase,
Run it,
AND RUN IT WELL!!
Written by Ian Bowers
For more information on the meaning of this poem send an email to: pastorian@dominiontheology.org
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