WOOF, WOOF

WOOF, WOOF

 

Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Sound of Silence’ in 1964 led to the duo breaking apart, but if I was a modern lyricist, unlike them, to concentrate on noise, I’d compose an onomatopoeic song for the sound of dogs, ‘dog speak’ if you will. Their barks and growls reveal how they feel in the neighbourhood, a noisier species than wilder types, yet some able to remain mute for a long, long time like an uncooperative witness in a jury trial. Dogs bark and whine, whimper and howl; they huff and growl, yelp and yip, a canine orchestral recital with no need for a baton. And within each intonation, meaning varies - the common bark or growl deconstructed like a poem - a different pitch employed for play, meeting a stranger or simply ‘back off - this is my bone!’ Barking contagious, one sets another off and like the growl, its meaning varies from ‘I am so alone and blue’ to ‘yes, indeed, I thought you’d never ask; let’s go out and don’t forget the ball.’ There’s the doorbell ring response, and passing car, narcissistic ‘look-at-me, don’t I look fine?’ Size can deceive, but yappy dogs are little and the bigger blood-hound types deeper-toned like a bassist who towers over cellos, violas and violins in the orchestra. My brother owned two Basenjis that scarcely offered a sound, but presto, in my face, which always caused a start as they emit only one or two low woofs, an economy of scale, while I remember a Cocker that rambled on all day, decrying loneliness in such a shameful way. You have Shih Tzus and Poodles, such a fashion show, pointers, hounds and dour Rottweilers that grumble when they bay. A whimper or a yelp indicates some pain. Those who howl at night try to metamorphasize to wolf. Whiners under stress love to join you in your bed. Doberman look scary, but are unobtrusive and will back off; beware of Shepherds grown mean, and reverting back to Simon and Garfunkel where we started, a silent dog

its head stuck

out the window

of a car, displays

the essence of

pure joy.

 

Author's Note

written for pure fun