I am a canine Sherlock
a bouncy snowy white
rising when the sun comes up
ready for the fight.
I search the perimeter
check on my family pack
they are always sleeping
while I am securing the back.
Winged enemies taunt me
as they hop along the fence
fluttering out of reach
I have no defence.
So I bark across the garden
and trip over abandoned shoes
try to alert my people
but they don’t have a clue.
They shout my name plenty
from the warmth of their beds
Jasper snoring loudly,
but waking him is waking the dead.
My name is Ollie
I am snowy white
I’m the leader of my family
and my barks worse than my bite.
Charlie Ann Alford 