The Dog Downstairs

The Dog Downstairs

                                                        Old Hull, Quebec. December 6, 2003.


Beneath me dwells a killer dog

That growls and snarls and roars.

Its driving need to murder me

Penetrates my floors


That hideous face at the window, pressed

Straining against the glass

Those bloodshot eyes, that insane bark

Unnerve me when I pass


In fear that it will seize my life

I cower here confined

Terror of that monstrous beast

Overwhelms my mind


I know it waits outside my door

Crouching in the hall;

Its jaws will lock around my throat

With no sound at all.