Sleeping rough in the park ,
and being homeless ,
is not the best way to spend his days .
But he don't know anything different ,
and he really don't care too much
about what people think anyways .

I see him every morning ,
lazing on the council grass ,
badly in need of a bath ,
stretching out and yawning wide .
Pissing unashamedly in public .
He's got no inhibitions , nothing to hide .

Then off he goes ,
at a brisk pace .
Getting around town ,
all over the place .
With the world
two inches from his face .

All he's interested in is self-survival .
The animal instinct of competition ,
pitted against his rivals .
He is ruled by primal dissemination ,
the need for food and shelter ,
and the constant urge for procreation .

Everything is interesting to him ,
in his canine universe .
Every possibility must be investigated ,
in his basic dog-eat -dog world .
Coming second is not an option .
Survival means getting in there first .

Sniff at every lamppost ,
piss on the opposition .
Avoid the human beings .
Avoid the busy roads .
Learn to look .
Learn to listen .

Discarded chips and chinese ribs ,
washed down with laps of puddle water .
And a sideways growling glance
at a haughty trotting poodle ,
wearing a diamante collar
that her posing owner bought her .

Loping down the high street ,
weaving in and out
between the busy shoppers .
Stopping at the butchers door ,
for a much needed sniff ,
of mince and chops and trotters .

Shoo away ! Get away !
Hounded like a footloose cur .
Can't stay too long
in any one place .
Go on !
Get out of there !

It's a dog's life ,
and then some .
Down at heel ,
with his fleabitten stray mutt days .
But if he had an outside chance ,
he probably wouldn't change it anyway .