32 Dogs of War

A Poetry Collection by Eric Nunnally

1.

The soul saved from hell
Is grateful
But trusts slowly
For he knows
There are many kinds of hell

2.

Biting the hand that feeds you
Is an awful thing

(Dogs have been put down for less)

But taking food out of a hungry dog’s mouth
Wasn’t wise in the first place

3.

He growled when you played too rough
Grabbing the soft coat covering tender wounds
He would have bitten anyone else
But he warned you

He growled when you played too rough
Trying to impress your friends
And you got angry, slapping him
Even though you woke him from his sleep

You growled when he played too rough
Jumping on you and licking your face when you came home
And pushed him away from you, hard
Because you just lost your job

You growled when he played too rough
Begging you to get out of your funk
And punched him when he was trying to cheer you up
The day you broke up with your lover

Who never liked dogs.

4.

In the dead of night, dogs barked at God
You pressed pillows to your ears
Cursing the full moon, while

A burglar changed his mind
A rapist turned around
And a vandal kept walking

5.

Obedience school is like the military
Without a good master, the dog’s just a killer

August 28, 2005