The Devil's Dogs

Satan, in a man’s disguise,
went up to check on Earth;
appallingly he saw it lacked
an evil of much worth.

Returned to Hell and thought surely
“that must be made to change;
I shall create a horrid beast
to terrorise its range”.

At its birth he saw its worth —
it caused his hand to bleed;
it mauled the hounds and growled at him
and reaped the Hellish seed.

He looked and liked his new creation
“They’ve never been among”,
He thought to himself, in contemplation,
“I’ll call the beast a dog!”

The dog soon had a female mate
with which to spread its kind;
the Devil set them loose on Earth
to see what prey they'd find.

The dogs maddened the earthly men;
“Somebody get the chains!”
Till the women’s tender hearts would
see them look for prey.

They took them in as refugees
and gave them all the food.
They tried to make them residents
and train them to be good.

Dogs by nature have the urge —
the ceaseless need to feast;
and soon were they to prove
themselves as horrifying beasts.

A young girl knelt before a dog
to dress it in her lace;
But it in instinct snapped at her
and savored flesh of face.

A shepherd left his flock alone
to have a spot of tea;
At his return he saw that
he was missing all his sheep.

A mother poor left on a plate
a piece of bread to carve;
the dog wanted to help itself,
so all her kids would starve.

The Devil proudly saw his work
and saw what they had done:
“The dogs have taken twenty-four;
I hope they’re having fun”.

The people gave the Devil's dogs
unneeded love and play.
They didn't fear and didn't flee, and
neither did they pray.

A woman dressed the hell-dog’s wound
using a linen band;
She took it in and bathed its fur
although it bit her hand.

It rained one day, it poured that day;
The dogs were doing fine —
scarcely do they feel the rain —
but folks led them inside.

The evening came, the dogs ran loose
and were the fools confused;
till the dogs flooded the roads
and broke to them the news:

One by one the dogs did maul
the people of the town;
Not a crew of twenty men
could put the monsters down.

Soon — within an hour's time —
would all the folks be dead;
the dogs would not, nary a thought
within their ugly heads.

Satan laughed with hearty glee,
“Killed men, not only sheep!”;
poured himself a glass of wine,
and put himself to sleep.