(72) If (By The Kipling Dog)

One of my all time favourite poems is If by Rudyard Kipling.

If you can scratch that irritation
And rid yourself of those fleas,
Put your head upon a masters lap,
And be patted gently on the head.
Look up with pining eyes at the table,
And gain the reward of a scrap of food.

If you can tempt your master to walk you.
Even when the rain is falling outside;
C**k your leg up at the leg of a chair,
And know you will never get caught.
Bear to take that dreaded walk,
Up to where the fears of the bath await.

If you can dream of the day now gone,
And kick your hind leg up in the air.
If you can train your master well,
To throw a stick but have to bring it back;
Then the world is your bone, my pup,
And every day you will be a dog.





copyright Chris Smith 2010

Reviews

[Ben Taylor]

This is really interesting; making this a parody of "If" was a clever idea :)
Nicely written; the comparison between the two poems is very noticeable, although I'm glad you gave a description of what this was imitating, since I have not read the original before.
In conclusion, this was a well executed, original idea :)

[Pollyanna]

Wonderful visuals!

[Sanjeeta Sharma Pokhar..]

If.......

Talks about the possibility and You have mastered...!!!!
Phenomenal....

:)

[M.Babu]

What a fantastic pun my! Loved the whole perspective and reverse concept! I understand why it's in your favorite list:)

Loved this stanza so much:
"If you can dream of the day now gone,
And kick your hide leg up in the air.
If you can train your master well,
To throw a stick but have to bring it back;
Then the world is your bone, my pup,
And every day you will be a dog."

[Coyote Poetry]

I like this poem. I believe a dog life wouldn't be so bad. I was a Soldier for 15 years. Training can be done to man with ease. Most of us are trained and don't know it. Complete poem was outstanding. I like the ending a lot. Thank you.
Coyote