ACCIDENTAL HERO

It was an unruly fire station,
Training our dog was really tough.
It was nothing but frustration,
And our Chief had had enough!

Off to school we tried to send Gus,
To the Obeyful Academy of Indianapolis.
But he wound up on the wrong bus,
For the Naval Academy in Annapolis.


He got bored with all those classes,
Our Dalmatian quickly went astray.
Gus grabbed his goggles and his glasses,
And dog paddled across the bay.

He ducked into the harbor,
And snuck beneath a barrier.
He swam a little farther,
And climbed aboard an aircraft carrier.


He launched kittens from the cat-apult,
And performed some tricks for naval vets.
Into the sky he waved his freckled front foot
To flag down a cargo jet.

“Land on the flight deck, and I’ll meet ya,”
Radioed Gus on channel three.
Why, that dog had ordered pizzas!
For a thousand sailors and Marines!


Gus received a huge ovation,
Like none we’d ever seen.
They made him Chief of Aviation,
And then captain of a submarine.

With a ring of the bell,
And no further delay,
Gus grabbed the helm,
Shouting, “Anchors Aweigh!”


He set the periscope up
To peer into the night,
When at once our spotted pup
Saw a bright and blinding light.

“For love of dog and nation,”
He started barking out his orders,
“Man the battle stations,
And all hands to general quarters.”


With a wag of his tail he then boldly exclaimed,
“This enemy must be defeated!”
Setting his sights and taking his aim,
The target he promptly torpedoed.

From up ahead, we heard an awful angry shout,
And from beneath, a sickly scraping screech,
When Gus attacked a lighthouse,
And ran his ship upon the beach.


I woke up from my dream last night,
To learn that wild dog was me.
How often I ignore His light,
Like a lost ship upon the sea.

When I become that spotted dog,
And all my glory turns to shame,
He guides me safely through the fog,
And takes away my blame.


David J Allen
January 15, 2005


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