The Great Dog Migration
by Kyle Isacksen
I wrote this story years ago after Snakes Wear Socks was published and kept coming back to edit it over the years. I tried to find a publisher but that never manifested. It's always been a really fun little story for me and I think, if it was ever illustrated, the pictures would be hilarious. I hope you enjoy it!
A long time ago
On a quiet spring day
The Great Dog Migration
Got under way
It began in the backyard
Of one Shelby McCreetch
When Princess, her pitbull
Chewed through her leash
Though Princess was first
In doing the deed
Dogs the world over
Followed her lead
At first no one noticed
It was only a few
But day after day
The missing dogs grew
Squeakies went silent
The kibble, it crumbled
Collars were empty
And leftovers doubled
Reports tumbled in
From near and afar
Of dogs on the move
By bike, train and car
A pair on snowshoes
A pack by canoe
A dozen seen swimming
To where? No one knew
The news people tittered
The tweeters all twittered
The buzzing’s and whirring’s
Were greatly considered
“Fake News!” shouted someone
“A conspiracy, too”
Blame those in the red states
Or those in the blue
Soon people, the big ones
Moved onto the next
“New Pets can be had!
Don’t worry, don’t fret.”
But rocks will not fetch
And possums sleep early
Kangaroos can’t be walked
And Komodo Dragons are surly
The cats were ok
Several seen with a smirk
They surely knew something
But they wouldn't talk
The day finally came
But what could we do?
“Save the Dogs!” someone shouted
“Put the last in a zoo”
The idea seemed a good one
Good enough for a meeting
So all of suburbia
Jostled for seating
It was Sparky the Spaniel
Mikey Bean’s only pet
Who, for some reason
Hadn’t left yet
Great speeches were made
Some tears even shed
All to save dogs
“For the future.” They said
With much to discuss
The meeting went late
They formed a committee
At quarter past eight
While off in a corner
Left to themselves
Were Sparky and Mikey
By the dusty bookshelves
Mikey looked at Sparky
And Sparky, he sighed
His mind was made up
He licked Mikey goodbye
Back at the meeting
They typed out a letter
“To Congress!” they chorused
“They’ll make it better!”
A gavel was struck
The meeting adjourned
With decisions decided
To Mikey they turned
And there he still sat
Now all by himself
Near paw prints left
In the dust by the shelf
There arose a great clamor
Of “How’s, Where’s and What’s”
Of who was to blame
Of who lost the mutt!
But out of the din
A soft voice could be heard
It was Mikey Bean
Who uttered one word
A great quiet descended
The reverse of before
To hear Mikey Bean
Speak his truth from the floor
“Why.” He said once
To all who were there
“Why” is the word
“Not who, what, or where.”
The people stood staring
Unsure what he meant
“It’s us!” He lamented
“We’re why they went.”
Mikey rose to his feet
And shared even more
“It’s our stuff and our things
How we waste how we war.”
“We take more than we need,
Way more than our share.
Our greed is too great,
It’s simply not fair.”
He took a deep breath
Looked down at his feet
He thought of Sparky
Then finished his speech:
“It’s a wonder they lasted
For so long, in the end.
It must have been hard
Being, ‘Man’s best friend.’”
The people were shocked
Astounded! Confounded!
An uncomfortable silence
With squirming abounded
They filed out slowly
With nary a glance
At Mikey Bean or the paw-prints
Near his dust-covered pants
Soon all who were left
Were those under eight….
They heard Mikey out
‘til half past late
They shared some ideas
To get the dogs back
Because they all knew
We can’t live with just cats
They got down to work
The very next day
Small stuff for starters
But small starts are ok
A bake sale, a car wash,
And funny pink hats
Cleaned up their rooms
Even walked a few cats
They weeded a garden
Recycled more glass
Made a sweet mural
And picked up some trash
Biking was in
and walking was cool
With a lot more of learning
and a lot less of school
They bettered the soil
and ate what they grew
They shared with their neighbors
and talked to them, too
Jobbing was out,
working was in
And naps at mid-day,
where had they been?
They smallered their lives
and slowered their paces
Made beauty and art
in everyday places
Building went natural
With clay, straw, and sand
Homes became sacred
and so did the land
They brought out the elders
and shuttered the jails
Tended the wild
and respected the snails
It didn’t take long,
you’ve probably guessed
‘til parents pitched in
to help fix the mess
Big works take time
And one year soon passed
(that’s seven for dogs)
But they were having a blast
Years went by
And the kids grew tall
The Great Turning they started
Had bettered it all!
Until finally it happened
On a lovely spring day
A single low bark
Heard far away
They picked up their heads
Got quiet real fast
“What was that noise?”
The younger one’s asked
Could it have been?
Could it be true?
That noise that they heard
Was one they once knew!
They tuned in their ears
They had to be sure
Then it happened again
Three barks and then four
And out of the hills
And down through the grass
Such a sight they did see
Dogs! Coming fast
Big ones and small ones
Brown ones and blue
A poodle, a pitbull
Mutts out the wazoo!
A great big old white one
The size of a horse
And last but not least
A spaniel, of course
They barked and jumped
We petted and scratched
All were so happy
Except for the cats
The dogs had come back!
They had returned
We’d finally done it
We’d finally learned!