Buffy Poem by Jerry Behr Number 2

“Ok Buffy, come on.”
I said as I opened the back door
Buffy came inside the house
prancing, then dancing
on her two hind legs.

With great expectations she
knew it was time “Walkies.”
I got her leash, latched it
on her collar. Though wild with
excitement I could control Buffy

she is only a small dog;
besides I weigh more than she does.
Her tail wagged wildly I told her to sit
while I fetched my crutches I needed
them for my bum hip.

Cartwright is a suburb with a maze of
walkways, a labyrinth of footpaths in all
directions, intermingled amongst fibro houses
and flats. We stepped out onto the walkway,
it was early evening with a slight breeze.

“There they are Buffy, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter.”
Telling Buffy where the planets were in the
crystal clear evening sky.
“Complete with Vincent Van Gogh’s moon.”
Buffy just walked on ahead tugging on her leash.

I held her leash on the handle grip of my crutch
as we walked the walkways. I had to be mindful
of cats, I have to protect Buffy from them.
The cats stalked Buffy wanting to
box Buffy’s ears in.

We walked to Eloure Park and sat on a
knee high log fence. Looking up I said.
“The amount of stars here Buffy is only half
of what there is, all the rest are blocked out by
Light pollution, smoke and real pollution.

Now in the bush, Buffy one could see
far more of these stars and the sight
is virtually hallucinatory. Thousands
upon thousands of stars, I felt I could
touch them in the night sky.

Come on Buffy, time to go back home.”
We walked the same way
back along the walkway
we came, passing the yapping
dog behind the fence.

8/9/08