Husky Love Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

Mush me and I’ll run for you
As long as you say
Whatever it takes
I’m your girl!

We both know with a bitch like me in the lead
The dogs will follow
Until their paws bleed
Or they drop from exhaustion!

Exhort us to
And we will race for you
Over tundra and ice
Through white-outs
Or under the northern lights.
Our bodies are yours to command.
So long as we have your heart.

We were bred to pull a sled.
You were born under a different sky
In my inner eye I see it:
Crowded by towering buildings,
Clouded by toxic fumes,
Lit by neon
Filled with people
Each one alone.
A wasteland!

And so you came north
To where the sun never sleeps in summer
Nor do the mosquitoes or biting flies.
But in winter all is white and quiet
Except for the howling of the wolves
And the bawling of the hooved things.

It is then you come alive
Something sparks in your eyes
And the wanderlust sets in.
And you tether us all together
And climb on the sled and yell “Go! ”

And we do!
Until you yell “Whoa! ”
And then all exhausted
We collapse in the snow.
You set about building a fire.
And then you feed us.
Then sated and satisfied with ourselves
We sleep
Crowded all around and on top of you
In a heap.
What more could any bitch need
To make her life complete!

So race me!
I’m yours until I drop in my harness
Gray-nozzled and lame.
I ask for no more in this life than a purpose
And a person worth serving.
And you are her!