Love Story

Love Story

Below a stunted tree
on the Whitesands,
a small black mongrel
watches a sunburned man

drinking cider. No Border
Collie or Sealyham
could be more focused
on the job at hand-

unflinching eyes follow the can
from lap to lip
and back again.
Between rapid sips

the man talks softly to the dog,
lifting his hand
occasionally in salutation.
He has more booze unopened

on the grass beside him,
it is hard to tell
if the dog knows this,
or knows it too well:

the sunburned man
and the small black mongrel
are a package too complex
to unravel,

it’s enough to know
this Friday afternoon,
in this un-seasonal town,
they are very much in love.