From out the marsh with jaws agape
And angry howls the wolf does run
All set to roam and havoc make
Amongst the nine worlds of the sun.
But so as silk, strong fetters fixed
To calm, restrain the rage awhile,
Invite the hand between sharp teeth
To prove good faith, to reconcile.
Thee bond unbroken, trickery
Could not prevent the savage bite.
And free at last with jaws against
Thee ground and sky, the final night.
Curled at my feet in sleep, Tervueren,
Malinois or Groenendael:
A shepherd’s friend, unfettered loyalty,
Sweet devotion natural.
Dreaming of a wilder past,
A wilder bark, the howl, the growl:
Soft limb to tear and bone to grind,
The postman corpse to disembowel.”