Damn Good Dog
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Natalie Marks, Grade 6
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Poetry
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2014
The wind was warm and the grass was dry,
A small mob of cattle walked side by side.
Then suddenly tore a mickey* through an old fence.
Being tracked by the dogs, panting for rest.
The mickey* was lost, nowhere to be seen.
Back come the dogs, but only came two.
'Spud' and 'Molly', with their back legs giving up.
Wishing they had water to cool themselves down.
We arrived at the yards with 'Hendo' unfound.
Dad went for a look, but came back empty handed.
All packed in the tilly* we went searching for our lost workmate,
hoping to come back with him, knowing it might be too late.
We back tracked our path, hoping he was just lost and waiting for us to return.
On the opposite side from where we walked the cattle back, we came to a stop.
Dad called out “there he is.” Dad called "here boy.”
He didn’t even blink.
We took his collar off, and put him on the other side of a fallen over dead tree.
We put a cross of twigs on his still body
He’d had a good life and died from the heat.
A damn good dog, dead at my feet.
*A Mickey is an uncastrated bull which has had little contact with humans, horses and working dogs.
*Tilly is a ute of work vehicle used by stockman.