Michael Hatwell
Black Dog
Black dog comes without warning;
he doesn’t arrange his visits to coincide
with the obvious traumas - a mugging, a dear one dead -
you don’t know his name; and he isn’t easy to house-train.
When black dog comes, he never snarls or whimpers:
his presence lulls you, like the unceasing flush
of water over rocks; or like fine sand
sifting its way down through an immense hourglass.
Black dog’s loyalty is total. It’ll make you
shiver, a little like true love, and just
as unsought. In his being you’ll find no tinge
of anxiety or remorse. The point is, he’s always hungry.
Black dog knows you’ll feed him. Gliding in from behind you,
he’ll start with an unhurried licking of your hand.
Then throughout the small hours he’ll stay on guard
beside you, moonless, in the silence.
Page(s) 44
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