My Shadow-Dog Poem by Gert Strydom

From the beginning of my existence
you do walk along with me my shadow-dog,
my on my tracks like a eternal guardian
with the beautiful, the pain and miserable things of life
that you do experience along with me

and constantly you do sniff around in my thoughts
as if you do want to find new meanings
and old undiscovered treasures
but sometimes just like me you are blinded
against the danger that hides everywhere
in the world around us,

you do triple and cry when a loved one comes near
and just like me you are astounded with their retribution
stabbing in the back and when they are toady

and sometimes you bark for the postman
but also for the prowler,
the burglar, the robber and murderer
that does sneak past
to do catastrophe to someone else

and sniffing, sniffing the farmers hear your barking
until deep into the night at times
or where you do howl at the coming up of the red-moon
until it later much higher becomes gold or silver-white

and still you do guard me against
the whore and the adulteress
that does pass much too friendly
and it's as if you smell the death clinging to them
where you do avoid them
and are searching for your old buried bones
as treasures in the ground.

© Gert Strydom