Past midnight on a muggy August night,
All ceiling fans turned high, windows thrown wide,
The full moon bathing all in silver light,
A silent dog and owner pass outside-

But my dogs think that dog a mortal threat
And with their barking house and home defend
Five seconds later, they’ve cause to regret-
They’re shushed and banished, yet the noise portends

Retaliation from the batty neighbor,
Whose tolerance of dogs is low-to-none,
Arrives in air horn blast, a rattled saber,
But even she has yet to be outdone.

She cannot blame her canine neighbors for
The jet that passes over with a roar.