For Helen

*

Who’s in the dog house?  Someone has been flakey

The someone who lost the unfortunate Jakey

Thank heavens for girls and the Book of the Face

And the people of town who live down Mayenne Place

For needles in haystacks are easy to spot

Compared to the dog who was there, and was not

The tale of his loss was inherently spurious

The dog in the night time; an incident curious

They shouted, they whistled, they got out their torches

They searched the canal and the shadows in porches

Where was the Jakey dog?  No one could tell

Till somebody heard a desperate yell

“He’s here,” someone said, “he’s been here all night”

Oh dear, someone will be in the dog house tonight…

Result; one happy girl and a tail wagging hound

And ‘The dog who was lost’ now ‘The dog who was found’

*

by Gail