Dolphins and Dogs

[couchgrouch]

Dolphins and DogsLeft my hound with a neighbor, charted a tub on the coastchugged out and dropped anchor, as a red moon rosepopped open a bottle, hoisted a solitaire toastto the dolphin song in the gathering fogI'd tossed them some scraps, soon after I left landstarted thinkin' of family, and came to understandhow it's funny if he feeds them, mem'ries follow a maneven farther than dolphins and dogsI hadn't seen my brother, since he left his prison barshe left me with that old hound, and broke poor mama's heartnow she's gone and I kept drinkin', sinkin' in Cutty Sarktill my heart was heavy and whiskeyloggedit seemed my salty teardrops, were like brothers to the seawhen I headed back that morning, those dolphins followed meit made me feel that fam'ly, should have the same loyaltythat I'd seen in dolphins and dogsgot home and gassed my Chevy, then put that mutt in backdrove all night through Texas, 'cross the jigsaw flatsthe weather bird was chokin', above my brother's shackcos it was downwind from his hogsthat hound licked my brother's face, like he'd never been gonethen we hugged on his porch steps, and wept awhile for momhe said it took God and prison, to teach him right from wrongI smiled and said "with me it was dolphins and dogs"(c)2006 Robert George