Summer 2025 - Vol. 22, Issue 3

Oscar lies on the porch

Like a dream stretched out

His tail twitches with palsy

His whine tells me how

He’s chasing rabbits in a field

But the whine becomes a bark

And I know – dogs have nightmares too

But what could a dogmare be like?

There’s one about a bone

As big as your head

That turns into a live cat

Inside your stomach

And there’s one about digging

In the garden

But you dig too far

And you can’t get out

Of the pit you made

And one about evil monsters

Like vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers

That chase you and chase you

There’s the one about a rabbit

You chase into a hole

And you start to dig it out

And something – not a rabbit—

Grabs you from inside the hole

But worst of all

There’s that one special bad dream

That one you hate the most

You are walking with the Master

Your good, loving Master

You chase the ball he bought for you

But when you turn around—

He’s gone!

You search everywhere

But you never find him…

Oscar wakes, his tongue lulling out

He gives you his best dog smile

As if to say –

Just a dream! Just a dream!