Dogheads

by Carl Sandburg


AMONG the grassroots
In the moonlight, who comes circling,
red tongues and high noses?
Is one of ’em Buck and one of ’em
White Fang?

In the moonlight, who are they, cross-legged,
telling their stories over and over?
Is one of ’em Martin Eden and one of ’em Larsen the Wolf?

Let an epitaph read:
He loved the straight eyes of dogs and the strong heads of men.