We have a little tug of war,
my dogs and I

It's about the cushions
where they often lie

The older one keeps moving them
from place to place
and day to day

The younger one keeps chewing them
from top to bottom
until they fray

I wag my finger,
I say "No, No!"

They wag their tails,
They just don't know

And then the sky grows ominous
as clouds begin to form
they are dark and menacing
moving in but slow

So I grab the cushions
and head toward the porch
where the roof will cover them
and keep them dry and warm

My dogs look curious,
Is this another game?
Will they get their cushions back?
Will I ever learn their ways?

But when I put the cushions
where they ought to be
I sit down beside them
and my dogs lay next to me

As we watch the raindrops
begin to trickle
and then to pour

We see what happened to the sky
and wag our tails, happy,
that I did not let
sleeping dogs lie

The dogs are barking,
I wonder what they’re saying,
“It’s cold out here, let me in!”
That’s what I would be screamin’.

Maybe they’re having a philosophical debate
About how to get a checkmate?

Dogs playing pool, poker and chess,
I like it when dogs do human things,
Because humans do dog things,
And call themselves civilized.

But what do I know anyway?
Because today is the day,
The dogs barked a conversation,
And I lacked the comprehension
To know what they’re saying.