Just when traffic
stopped its steady
roar and cicadas rasped
dry summer breeze,
a dog barked,
mayhem broken loose
from farm to farm.
They howled at danger's
odor only they could
smell, placed their
invisible cordon
around us, to return
order to our steads,
frighten away
evil spirits, then
settle into long dark
dog slumber, legs
kicking at threats
only they can dream.
Richard Dinges, Jr.