THE MAX FACTOR

It was a crowded fire station,
Chief had fallen on some toys.
“Gus! You’ve exhausted all my patience,
And I’m truly now annoyed!”

Gus stormed into his doghouse,
With a flash of anger in his eyes.
At once he called that hound out,
And his trembling voice began to rise.


“Max! You’ve driven me from house and home,
And I’ve got no place to store my toys!
You drained the fridge and all the dog bones,
And my comic books have been destroyed!

And your rowdy friends have got to go,
They’ve been keeping me up all night!
And clean this stinky mess up off the floor,
Unless you’re looking for a fight!”


Sherman heard them shouting,
It was a steady stream of sticks and stones.
He quenched the quarrel and the howling,
Saying, “Max needs a doghouse of his own.

I’m gonna send you off to get some lumber,
You can use my truck, it’s parked on Drake.”
But those dogs were prone to blunders,
And they took an eighteen wheeler by mistake!


Sherman should’ve talked to Chief,
Who knows things never turn out as intended.
For the police thought there’d been a thief,
And those dogs were apprehended!

As they sat in isolation,
Gus learned, “We get to use the phone.”
Max said, “We’d better call the station,”
And so he dialed 9-1-1.


As they questioned our Dalmatian,
The sound of sirens now drew near,
“Oh, you’re from that fire station,
We’ve heard all about your Chief ’round here!”

Gus tried an explanation,
But those dogs were free to go.
“Please, just go back to the station!
We don’t even want to know!”


So they continued on their mission,
To Mitch’s Lumberyard on 5th.
The clerk offered them assistance,
And they handed him their list.

“A load of plywood, half-inch thick,
And some sturdy beams and rafters,
A couple palettes full of bricks,
And some cement and nails and plaster.”


They began to argue over paint.
Gus wanted “Blizzard White” with “Pitch Black” spots.
Max said, “This house of yours it ain’t!”
And he grabbed a gallon can of “Caramel Drops.”

They backed up to the station
To unload the bags and bricks and boards.
They put an end to confrontation,
And got to work out in the yard.


Gus glanced up from his hammer
When he heard some words read from the Gospel.*
Why, Max had cleared the brush and gravel,
And the ground he’d tiled with Bibles!

“Max, that’s a unique interpretation,
But I don’t think that’s what He meant.
If you want a firm foundation,
You’ve got to use cement.


Look! There’s my Boxer friend named Buster,
He lost his house in last month’s storm.
The winter winds have started gusting,
I don’t know how that dog stays warm.

And there’s that friendly Foxhound Felix,
He lost his family back in May.
Now he’s at a warehouse on East 6th ...
At least he’s got a place to stay.


Max, we’ve got no right to argue,
When they’ve had their worlds turned upside down.
I’m sorry for the names I called you,
You’re my very favorite hound.”

“Gus, we’ve got an awful lot of lumber,
And they’ve got no place to call their own.”
Max paused his painting and he pondered,
“Why don’t we build these dogs a home?”


They built that house with loving labor,
With Christ himself the cornerstone.
Then they welcomed in their neighbors,
And stocked their fridge with extra bones.

And then imagine their surprise,
As they looked out from their tiny shack.
There were still enough supplies,
To build an extra room for Max.


David J Allen
September 9, 2005


*Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. [26] But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [27] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”


<== Gus’s ABC’s . . . . . Back to Top . . . . . Hot Date ==> . . . . . Gus’s Home Page