“Spaniel” by Allan Lake

There’d be someone lickable
to walk with, talk with along
life’s urine-sprinkled path,
someone to hold and protect me,
nuzzle and say,
You are the one, Honey.

I’d snooze on your bed, smelly
with love. You’d feed, pet, treat
and bathe me so I’d fetch your
tennis ball to make you happy,
lay it gently at your fragrant feet.
We’d be so into each other
if only I were a woof
and you weren’t so aloof.

Allan Lake, originally from Saskatchewan, has lived in Vancouver, Cape Breton I., Ibiza, Tasmania, and Melbourne. His first poetry collection was Sand in the Sole (Xlibris, 2014). Lake won Lost Tower Publications (UK) Comp 2017, Melbourne Spoken Word Poetry Fest 2018, and has been published in New Philosopher. His chapbook, My Photos of Sicily, was published by Ginninderra Press, 2020.