For Shona

Art by G. de Voss
Poem by Ralph Witherspoon


"My home is a haven for one who enjoys 
The clamour of children and ear-splitting noise 
Froma number of dogs who are always about,
And who want to come in and, once in, to go out.
Whenever I settle to read by the fire, 
Some dog will develop an urge to retire, 
And I'm constantly opening and shutting the door 
For a dog to depart or as mentioned before, 
For a dog to arrive, who, politely admitted, 
Will make a bee-line for the chair I've just quitted. 
Our friends may be dumb, but my house is a riot, 
Where I can sit still and can never be quiet."