A Portrait of Cerberus as a Young Dog

When you guard the last road
And all the seasons pass through
With time may come a dog or two
Rest your heads now, a heavy load,
These dogs will speak with you

Whispers the first, red and slight
“Living in shadow by my wits,
I do just what my mood fits
Trust no one, avoid the light,
Hunt alone and tend to your kits”

Growls the second, dark of hair
“I run with my pack, we are one
This is how the land was won
Fight for honor, kill to share
Fear no night and seek the sun”

Speaks the third, white and brown
“I was cold and came in to the fire
Now a few rooms are my world entire
At home in city, village, and town —
Fed by hand, who needs to go higher?”

Road’s end at the gates of hell
Hearing the dead talk false and true,
You may remember a dog or two
Snake tail twisting, will you ever tell
When Orpheus asks, which dog were you?

For Elizabeth
July 2021

Related posts:

My background is in data science and product analytics, with an increasing interest towards data-driven product growth. Before joining Gitcoin, I worked as a data scientist in the health and wellness…

When I say that I have “trauma” from cutting weight in wrestling and martial arts, it’s not really a joke. For the longest time, even just the thought of dieting or weight loss was enough to trigger…

Compost pumpkins. 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins are sold for Halloween. Yes, eat them, feed them to birds or chickens. Don't put your pumpkin in the trash.