Two Dogs
A pot of coffee sat between them
at The Cuny Table Cafe
‘Tween bites of blueberry pie
they talked of the sun and the rain
They talked of the moon and the stars
They talked of stillness and breath
They talked of good and of evil
They talked of life and of death
"I have two dogs inside me,"
spoke the elderly medicine man
My father, a rancher, sat and listened
to this primal story at hand
"One dog is dark, the other is light
"They growl and they show their teeth
"They will fight to the death over my soul
"The winner takes all, you see"
"Which one is stronger?" asked my father
"Which dog will win the prize?"
"The light or the dark, the good or the evil?"
"Where’s the heart go when it dies?"
The medicine man tipped up his cup,
Ate another bite of his pie
"Both dogs are strong, and the fight will go on
for the last remains of my life
"I never asked why they exist
or why I’m called to be their host
"But I hold the key to the dog who wins
"It’s the one I feed the most"
Copyright 1998 Deb Carpenter
Published in Yuowanca 1998
Nebraska Life Magazine Jan/Feb 2000
Cowgirl Poetry, Virginia Bennett, editor. Gibbs Smith, Publisher.
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