Vagrant and a Dog

Vagrant and a Dog
By Tatiana Pahlen

A man sulked on the bench
Face down onto his hands.
An old dog with pride
Fetched him a bone from a hunt,
Scaring away plump sparrows,
That picked from his bags
The last stale crumbs.

The man opened his eyes
Nibbling lean cheeks
With his toothless mouth
And reached for the dog, losing dice,
Fell through the hole of his pocket.

Methodically, being content,
The dog licked his master's hand,
Wagging his old sluggish body,
Abandoned a long time by a vet,
Yet swayed the great love of a vagrant.