Ole Moon Dog

Ole Moon dog, howling through the  night,

sniffing the wind, ears and eyes alert,

hunting for food, or  a f**k , or a fight,

All the same to Ole Moon dog,

some big German b*****d bit half his ear off,

not so long ago, maybe  Ole Moon chews 

his f*****g face off tonight,

maybe some b***h in heat, yeah maybe,

a guttural noise breaks through his teeth,

maybe a scavenge through the bins,

dig out some chicken bones,

Ole Moon dog lies in the sun, wriggling

on the sand, panting and thirsty,

swims in the sea for refreshment, runs amok

on the beach, scaring children, annoying tourists,

before baring his teeth, shitting on the 

promenade and trotting away,

Ole Moon dog hurtling through the forest,

truly free, chasing rabbits, playing in streams,

pissing his territory, marking his land,

sheep dreaming under trees,

Some people think Ole Moon is dangerous,

and avoid him when he lopes into town,

many times been chased by shotguns and the man,

but Ole Moon comes back, King of the f*****g jungle,

with a snarl on his lips and head high,

Ole Moon thinks about being caged sometimes,

pacing wall to wall, bar to bar, window to window,

wall to wall, back again, pacing out your life

in metres and minutes, the call of the wild

and the night and the wind, Earth, air,

screaming into every nerve ending,

wall to wall, bar to bar, window, wall,

knowing no escape, needing the mountains

to run across, needing to feel muscles pumping

as he runs and runs and runs, wall bar window wall,

sucking glory sweet oxygen and singing to the moon,

a one note sonata to the Godess of waves and wolves,

Ole Moon dog thinks about being trapped, hyperventilating,

wall bar window wall wall bar window wall

wall bar window wall wall bar window wall

Ole Moon dog, sitting in a doorway,

drinking wine, wondering what it's like to be an animal,

wall

bar

window

wall

wall

bar

window

wall

wall

bar

window

wall

Reviews

[Eilis]

Have been reading Gilgamesh with my daughter. Well, I have to read it first and then decide what to read with her. I read it in high school, but they left some parts out. I’m learning that now. Ha. Anyway, don’t know if you’ve ever read it, but it begins with this wild man named Enkidu who roams with the beasts and lives free in nature until he’s plotted against to be civilized. Essentially.

He was happy wild and without all the human comforts that tie us to places. That’s what I first thought of when I read this. Your poem has a bit of an epic feel to it itself.

I love the juxtaposition of the tamed and the feral Moon Dog. A lot of things I take for granted as being something I would find uncomfortable (like ongoing hunger or sleeping rough) are given a different context in this poem. It’s freedom. And, the poem itself makes me feel like the freedom felt is worth any sacrifice of norms or expectations. The idea of comfort itself becomes turned on its head because the traditional idea of comfort (here) is binding and a kind of crutch.

I really like that. I could never feel that free without borders but I like the idea that happiness is found in being absolutely untied to anything.

And then your ending makes the alternative seem like the less favorable of the two choices. The feeling of being trapped by the trappings and expectations of civilized society. The repetition of wall window bar and the variations on how that is structured is excellent for driving that home. The mind itself feels constricted.

Constriction vs freedom of movement. You definitely make the freedom of movement the more appealing choice here. This is an excellent poem. One of my favorites of yours I think.

[gram linski]

thanks Eilis, it's probably one of the few that I wrote with a narrative in mind, started with the last lines and kind of worked backwards, gently, or not, misleading the reader, ha, it's one of my favourites too

[NotUsinganymore]

Interestig and unique poem. It had a good meaning too. I enjoyed it!

[gram linski]

Cheers dude, glad you liked it, true story, lol

[Coyote Poetry]

I did like tale. Made me want to know more about Ole Moon dog.
"Some people think Ole Moon is dangerous,
and avoid him when he lopes into town,
many times been chased by shotguns and the man,
but Ole Moon comes back, King of the f*****g jungle,
with a snarl on his lips and head high,"
I liked the above lines. Would be a very interesting book, this tale.
Coyote

[gram linski]

Thanks again, dude, I was Ole Moon dog and there is a book written in pen, on paper, soon as I upload it I will send you a preview,lol

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i like this a lot...we all have that animal in us...the basic instincts to find solace in love, in drink in just letting loose, not being tamed...the freedom to do whatever we want...relationships can cage us, people can cage us...
cells can cage us....and sometimes we put ourselves there.
j.

[gram linski]

Glad you got the gist, j. most people don't realise the cage door is open, thanks for your kind review,