The Dog Park

A poem about nature and the beauty of woodland parks.

A plethora of steadfast wooden soldiers

Wrapped in nature’s leafy emerald mantle

Watch as tamed beasts march on by with their owners

Oh so obedient; never at battle.

 

The multitude of cascading scents grip them;

Tearing their dedication away briefly

And plunging them back into feral mayhem.

But with a word they return from far away.

 

Friendly exchanges are passed between strangers,

Their companion their only affinity

Yet they smile and they wave and they can snigger

For this is their place; their own community.

 

How many people have walked these very paths?

The collection of souls linked by common cause;

Can they sense each other through time’s endless depths?

Or do they walk on with no reason to pause?

 

All leave their mark; the roads are never the same

Whether it be a footprint or a carving

Left by young lovers as an ardent proclaim

Of their passion that it may be unending.

 

The soldiers see it all, every last detail

Never judging, never caring, they look on

As one by one their guests begin to set sail

On to new paths they can never walk upon.

Author's Note

Really unhappy with the title, open to new suggestions.

Reviews

[songstress]

I like this poem, the way you describe the interactions, and pardon me if I am wrong, between the dogs, the owners, and the nature is nice. Particularly, when you say, "watch as tamed beasts march on by with their owners, Oh so obedient; never at battle....The multitude of cascading scents grip them;
Tearing their dedication away briefly," I find a vibrancy within the dogs reactions. then when you ponder those who may have walked the paths before them, " the lovers and their foot print" it gives it a sort of meditative thought. it's calm and yet memorable as you leave with the line, "As one by one their guests begin to set sail on to new paths they can never walk upon." I can't say much for regarding anything outside of feeling, because I am no English major. But, the feelings you evoke are really sweet, vibrant, and thoughtful. This work is something that one could read, and feel as though they have found something they lost due to their own preoccupation. This poem, is memorable.