He must have looked like an easy mark,
the old man and his dog.
He walked with a cane
with his dog on a chain
on a deserted stretch of road.

There were three of them
they were young black men
as their car pulled up behind
They viewed that man as an ATM
and set out to rob him blind.

As he faced his foe
with his dog at his side
he parried with his blackthone stick
When one tried to grab the cane from the man
it ripped his hands to shreds right quick.

The faithful dog lept to the fray
and his teeth sank into beef.
He warmed to his task
as he bloodied the calf
of the somewhat tasty thief.

The third crook had a knife
and he tried for the life
of the little old grey haired man
but the cane ,like a club,
gave his kidney tough love
and the thief said
"its high time we ran ."

They fled from the scene
in their crack limousine
and my Dad and his dog
cheered their flight
Though he was quite out of breath
and his coat had been ripped
all in all it had been a good night.

My Dad and his dog
have long since passed on.
It's been thirty years now
since that night
but his old  blackthorne cane
in my homestead remains
ever ready in case of a fight.