I Am A Little Odd

Fat Dog... Dog is rolling in his filth like a champion,
Never too bold to leave the yard
Dog is patrolling the breezeway
Never fearful of the end,
Privileged
Mountains of chew toys
A lifetime of herding babies into men who forget

Neighborhood kids chase stray balls
Hopping, haphazardly rolling
near his bowl
Dog hardly barks or wags his tail

His short floppy ears pop straight up
Something familiar floods his wet nose
Smell never fails him
He remembers that mossy, charcoal flavored engine taste
A rusty visitor at the gate

Old man came down from the mountain.
"Fat dog, you were scrawny when I left you."
Dog is too stupid to be ashamed
Too dumb to run away
Old man puts his hand on the large lumpy canine skull.
"You were hungry when I found you and hungrier when I left"
Dog forces a few licks to Old Man's hand for a few more seconds and turns away
"You forgot what made you, lucky dog"
Old man went back up the mountain