Wednesday, May 23, 2007

An Old Indian Legend ~ by Klea V. Stilwell



There is an old, old legend,
Of how it came to be,
That dog forsook the wild to dwell,
With folks like you and me.

Now man and beast they lived on,
A common bit of earth.
Each specie thought the other,
Of very little worth.

One day there was a rumble,
The earth began to quake,
It gave a mighty shudder,
And then began to break.

A crack began to widen,
Between the beasts and man.
Some watched the crevasse deepen,
But most just turned and ran.

Now the dog surveyed the distance,
And Man beheld it too.
Between them sprang a yearning,
A feeling strange and new.

Then each one begged the other
To make the fateful leap,
Yet each one dreaded jumping
A crack so wide and deep.

So Dog compelled his courage
And told Man he would try.
He eyed the fatal distance,
For if he failed, he'd die.

Then Dog prepared to jump across
His courage had decided.
That if he could but make the jump,
They'd no more be divided.

His muscles bunched beneath him;
His body left the ground.
The wind raced past his muzzle;
His heart began to pound.

His senses sought the purchase
Of land beneath his feet.
At last his forepaws met the ground.
His mission was complete!

NO! His hind feet have slipped and
He's falling off the side!
His gallant farewell look said,
"At least, New Friend, I tried."

With disbelieving glance, Man
Beheld his falling friend.
He wouldn't let it happen;
It couldn't be the end!

Then flesh smote air in searching,
And hand met paw and fur.
Then Man pulled Dog to safety
As heart to heart they were.

Man called and Dog responded,
And though the gulf was wide,
Man gained the loyal canine
Forever by his side.

11 comments:

Gayle said...

Oh, I love that, Eyes. It's beautiful! :)

Eyes said...

Dogs are unique among animals! Do you like the halo on my head?

Anonymous said...

That was very moving dear. You earned your halo for posting it.
I think the love animals give us is so comforting, because it is so unconditional.
Monty

Anonymous said...

If the dog made it across, how come he's wearing a halo? Jes askin'.

Eyes said...

Thx Monty:>D

FJ, That's a picture of ME!!! HA! I was just thinkin' how much of angel I am:>D being of the loyal canine species and all.

Eyes said...

FJ, who are you now? That's an icky picture.... I think you should find a head shot of Brad Pitt and make the ladies happy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Farmer John,
Are you involved in arable, fatstock, bloodstock, dairy or mixed?
I regret my lack of knowledge of the agricultural sector. I do grow some of my own food though. Fruit and veg.
Sorry to go slightly off topic, but I am English, and have desperately sad memories of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease which swept our green and pleasant land several years ago.
Eyes, folk couldn't even take their nice little doggies for walkies through the countryside, or on many of the beaches.
Keep that awful thing out if you possibly can.
Best wishes to all.
Monty

Anonymous said...

And I was just teasing, eyes. As for the pic, it's Brando. I think he put on fifty pounds for the role. And I'm not sure he ever lost it...

Monty... you aren't the full monty, are you? I once knew a three card monty, but I've since lost track of him.

Brooke said...

Ew, no Pitt... How about some Backula? ;)

Great poem!

Eyes said...

Hi Anon, Sounds familar. I can't walk my dogs anymore because of loose pit bulls. It sucks.

Hi FJ, OHHHHH,, Brando.. Is he still alive?

Hi tmw, who is Backula?

Anonymous said...

t's such a great site. cool, extraordinarily interesting!!!

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