CATTLE DOG

The old cattle dog
lying under the shed
Fidgets as dreams
go around in his head

His weary old bones
are now stiff and sore
but he dreams of a time
when he welcomed his chores

Leaping and nipping
and pushing the herd
He'd act on command
at his master's word

He dreams of long days
beneath the warm sun
and remembers the joy
of a real flat-out run

His master was hard
but never unfair
and reward for success
was a ruffle of hair

But the boss has retired
and there's no farming now
No sheep and no cattle
no tractor or plough

But the old dog still dreams
of happier days
When he worked in the fields
and he slept in the hay

His spirit still yearns
to 'Get round!' or 'Get Back!'
and to follow the tractor
back home down the track

But now he's worn out
and he gets some odd looks
as he limps round the yard
and rounds up the chooks

For a working dog works
'till his last day is done
and his ghost hits the fields
at a real flat-out run

(c) June 2000 written in Mackay Qld.

Cattle Dog (c) R. Glasby

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