Reviews are limited by at least two things: The reviewer's knowledge/background and the author's temperament. Sometimes the reviewer's understanding and interpretation of a piece misses the mark. When the author believes this is the case, he can become hurt or angered. Please don't be. This review is neither a condemnation of your work, nor an extolment. It's just my opinion, nothing more.




Women may come and go, but you never forget a good dog!

It's a melancholy poem that realizes that the loyal old hound dog won't live forever, and it's good to come to terms with that before it happens and the speaker is unprepared. The poem recites memories of youth, the vitality and loyalty of the dog, and end with an acceptance that time waits for no one.

The imagery is powerful, giving clear glimpses of a tranquil life, and focuses on time, the longevity of the relationship between the young man and the hound.

Lines like:

Dreaming of some wily hare
Mocking from its thorny lair:

adds local color, and not only shows how the hound is now, but how we was once, when he would chase rabbits. In that line, we can see a bit of our own humanity. When our lives pass us by, we are left to our memories of how it once was. In a way he's the perfect match for the boy's grandfather.

The story not only juxtaposes the past with the present, but the present with the future, as can be seen in:

For I’ll grow up and you’ll grow old,
A maid will warm me when I’m cold.
A woman’s smile replace your yawn,

It's a mature way of seeing the future, and isn't meant to show that he will forget the hound, but that it's the reality of life, time changes and we move on.

The poem blends sadness with fondness, for while the dogs age reminds the young man that his time is short, there is happiness in all the fond memories they have shared over the years.

It's a poem that carries a lasting mood, one that will remain for a while after I've finished reading the poem.

I liked it.