My Word of the Month poem

Hi everyone,

Here’s my June poem, inspired by this month’s word — PAL.

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The Best Squirrel Dog in the County

Pal was small, wiry, a mixed mutt,
white with brown patches.
“Best squirrel dog in the county,”
Glen liked to say. 

Glen was a forest ranger,
spent days high in his tower,
watching for smoke, reading his bible.
He was always glad to see Dad and me,
loan us his dog when we showed up now and then,
hoping to get a squirrel or two.

“Pal! Get a squirrel!” Glen would say,
and that little dog would tear out,
legs kicking up leaves
as he raced off into the woods.

Before long we’d hear him,
far off at the base of some tree,
and we knew we’d find him,
dancing around a trunk,
staring up into the limbs, 
yapping frantically for us to get the squirrel.

With or without success,
we’d finally have to tell him,
“Pal! Get a squirrel!”
and off he’d go,
leaving us to stand and listen
for his hysterical yapping,
somewhere a hard walk away,
to announce another squirrel up a tree.

That was all long ago.
I grew up, got married, moved away.
My dad, Glen, Pal, are gone.
But there are times when memories of those days
kick up leaves, like Pal,
racing through the forest of my mind.
He was the best squirrel dog in the county.

© 2024 David L. Harrison, all rights reserved