Avoiding A Feud Poem by Raymond Farrell

It was a picture perfect
Postcard Spring morning
The air was as clear as crystal
There was dew but no frost
The sky a faint tinge of blue
That seemed to rise
To the very gates of heaven
The sun unmasked by any clouds
Made it possible to look
Out the back window
Of the upstairs bedroom
Of my grandfather's farm house
And see the back meadow
As it sloped down to the creek
The expanse of swale was visible
With its willows, cattails and beaver dams
And in the distance
The church spires of the village were visible
I stood admiring the apple orchard
Now in full bloom
And the meadow
Which had exploded in color
From the countless wildflowers
That had haphazardly taken root
Here and there, perhaps
From seeds blown in by the wind
Dropped by birds, or scuffed off passing boots
While admiring all this beauty
In the distance
I saw a pack of six dogs
Starting its way up the back pasture
Heading for the field beside the house
Where our sheep were feeding
I ran down the stairs
Took the gun by the door
And plenty of ammo
Having time, I got myself well-situated, and waited
They entered the south end of the field
Running in single file toward the flock
I took aim and fired, shot after shot
I killed five outright
And the remaining one I wounded
I finished off with a bullet
To the back of the head
And that afternoon
My uncle and I buried the lot
A couple days later
A man from the village
Drove in the lane
Dressed up in a suit and tie
On his way to work in the town
You wouldn't happened to have seen my dog
He wandered off a couple days ago
Was your dog ever inclined to kill sheep
Oh no my dog would never do that
Well if that is true
I haven't seen your dog
The next day
I had a similar conversation
With a woman from the village
Although, I'd shot and killed both their dogs
I didn't see the need
To start a needless feud
Over a couple dead dogs
That got what they deserved.