Cave Canem ? Rex, Lex Insanem

Cave Canem - Rex, Lex Insanem

Rusty was a rock'n roll mongrel,
James Dean look with a Brando growl.
Padding around in star-studded collars,
He was the biz - top dog, top dollar.

Some people he liked, mostly he snarled,
Geezers on bikes really drove him wild.
He'd give them a chase, snapping and yapping,
They'd be kicking and swearing, front wheel wobbling.
Us kids half-laughed, half-cringed, from down the road -
'It's not our dog, mate' if the bloke explodes.
Then Rusty won his twenty-two carat,
'I'm Mad, Me' gold-crusted medal. Chasing
A cement-mixer up on the pavement,
It wasn't just his sight that was going.

Rusty wasn't that fond of most dogs either,
Teeth bared from our porch, caveat empire.
Except for the bitches copping a back'un,
Tongue and tail wagging in doggy heaven

He'd follow the postman all around town,
Wherever he cocked his leg was his home;
But Rusty's gold clock was running down.
Getting old and crotchety like our family,
One night he scratched the door dad had painted
Once too often - next day the King was dead.

I remember his arrival, cradled
In my granddad's arms, riding pillion
On dad's old motorbike. Tiny, big-eyed,
Big-hearted Rusty. Nutty as a million
Bees round a honey pot, how he chased
His tail around our square. Us kids laughed and
He was always there, ready for our fights -
'Get 'em Rusty'. Run bright, cue life, roll lights.

Date mostly written: 1984