Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. – Mark Twain
Not A Runt, Just Different.
You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. – Dr. Seuss
His boat was small
and the journey unknowable
yet he felt he had the wind to his back,
sails full, prow plunging forward.
There was nothing left for him ashore.
As the last son of Gwamba,
titular and actual Alpha Male,
he would never have a bitch of his own.
Not if he stayed home.
How the pack worked.
Age old tradition,
probably created by the largest meanest males.
Just a guess.
He may not be a giant
but he was plenty capable enough.
He never forgot where he buried a treasure.
Another thing, his sense of smell
two hundred times stronger
than most other pirates he’d heard about.
Lifted his nose to the wind,
breathed in the future
which held no scents
he recognized and thought,
“I probably should have learned to swim.”
Rough Weather Right Away.
Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
He became acutely aware
of his inability to swim
when he remembered
he wasn’t much of a sailor.
Didn’t know where he was headed
except away,
a way anywhere from here.
Clouds. Wind. Dark. Storm.
Mother Nature birthed a swimmer,
like a dolphin in dog form
because when the boom hit him in his butt –
BONK! –
he splashed face first
and tried not to swallow a fish
he didn’t even know
and leaped back in the boat
on the same arc he’d been punched out.
The young dog shook and shook,
sprayed seaweed across the deck.
Water nothing to be afraid of,
more important to get control
of the ride you’re on.
Just because you don’t know
where you are going
or how to get there
doesn’t mean you can’t keep a firm grip
on yourself.
It’s A Serious Sea Out There.
For they conquer who believe they can. – John Dryden
He had no idea
there was such a big world
and all of it was wet.
Blue every every every every
sky water sea boat puppy
blue blue blue
all blue.
He was in a pool
relaxing atop a floating friend
Freddie Fer de Lance
from France.
He was adrift
and he was dreaming.
Next time
there wouldn’t be a next time
he would pack more food
more water to drink,
more underwear.
The next time
somebody told him
be prepared,
he still wouldn’t listen
but he’d darn sure prepare.
So calm.
Nothing to do but think
which means he was busy all the time.
Every minute felt important,
even to someone lost nowhere
who didn’t want to be there.
Floating, floating floating
finally on his way.
And Then It Rained Sharks.
Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. – Theodore N. Vail
And then it rained more sharks
with occasional stingrays
and intermittent flounders.
Isolated crabs.
The pummeled pup never saw what hit him.
What hit him was
a winged baby manatee
and suddenly he was back in the water
headed down and down
and everything went
down.
Watery grave calling.
Just when you think
hard
couldn’t get any harder,
when hard gets heavy,
what do you do?
You lighten up.
He floated back up
like a balloon lost
by a toe-headed little girl.
Hit the surface,
a furry bubble of surprise.
Help came in the form of
a huge orange-plumed parrot
with bad eyesight
and a voracious appetite.
Old bird imagined himself
a felonious fishhawk.
Puppies are sweet.
But they taste bad.
The fall woke him up.