Shadow

On a steamy August afternoon Our neighbor's unattended swimming pool Became a haven for Shadow, The nine-month-old Malemute who bounds Through our neighborhood in tight black breeches. Leaping far out into blue water Shadow dog-paddled till cool as shade; Then he grew colder still When he discovered there was no way out, No footing, no escape. When I got to him and drew him From his Arctic sea, his green eyes Spoke the history of dog and man: Snow trails, ice floes, and fire - Mutuality that holds the cold at bay.