Notes About The Poem

Religion of Dog

(“Loyalty Merit Badge”, 2010, original oil)

Religion of Dog

Religions come in all shapes and sizes
Some good, some not so much.
But what would a religion of dog be like? 
Kind, devoted and loyal, willing to please
And to defend, and be happily conditioned.
These would be the attributes of its followers
But what of the essence of its theological tenants?
Love, eternal vigilance, situational awareness
And of course joy
In a long walk or good play of tug or frisbee.
A religion of dog after all would be grounded
With it’s main focus the here and now,
Maybe not a zen focus
Maybe even more Dionysian,
But certainly within this
The values of family and pack
Would be supreme,
And this after all is not much different
Than all the human religions.
The difference which would make all the difference
Would have more to do with the wag.

(9/8/25)
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

Poem

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Pigeon Tart Avatar
September 9, 2025 at 5:22 AM
I love this. Go with Dog. xomo
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