The Ballad of Mary and her Dog Chappie
The Ballad of Mary and Chappie
She was wandering whitehaired clutching her lead
Glassy eyed and appearing in need..
'May I ask the way to Columbine Rd'
She laboured as if she carried a load..
And yet she seemed floating and far away too
the lead was red her coat was blue
And there was something that did not ring true
I thought to ask of her did you lose your dog?
But she seemed almost deaf; as if lost in a fog.
She was hovering gauntly, tall but inclined
drawn in the face and so much on her mind
She turned away and before I could warn her..
She strode along and turned the wrong corner.
I never discovered if she had lost her dog
Columbine Road was a mile long slog
And I followed her quizzically with my eyes
Thought she was just walking beneath blue skies
A half hour past and me with my collie
Mowing the grass and without a worry
i saw that the lady had gone round the block
Around in a circle - I looked at the clock.
She dragged the lead as if trailing her grief
and stared at the sky as if God was a thief
Something was wrong and she wandered on still
so I picked up my phone and reported her ill.
The PCSO he rang me at speed
'A lady's absconded and clutching a lead'
Her family distraught reported and cried
Her coat was blue and her dog had died
I also wondered if being kind
They forgot she had also lost her mind
The police cars were out and I went too
Searching for grief in a coat of blue
I was walking and searching for signs of a ghost
haunting the streets and every post
A dog in spirit wending its way
Sniffing the air and the blossoms of May
Remembering her face of ashen dismay
I wish I had known her dilemma today
As dawn crept in the phone had not rung
A bird was making it final song sung
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poem by Yvonne Rautenbach
Added by Poetry Lover
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