Squirrel Sestina

doggerel with a twist of rhyme

The hall of squirrels, Montreal, Quebec

My frenemy the dog
Is quick but not enough
To leap a lying log
And catch me in the rough 
As I make a magic twist
Like a dervish in the mist 

A mystic move that’s missed
By the boggled brain of dog
Such an acrobatic twist
As if that weren’t enough
And his baffled ruff ruff ruff
Scribbled in his Pavlov log

So he sniffs the latest log
His owner must’ve missed
A land mine in the rough
Full of info you could dog 
If you just had sense enough
Like a wine snob with a twist

Ah but now I give a twist
To this game of tree and log
I haven’t had enough
A ninja in the mist 
I call out to the dog
In a taunt that’s tough and rough 

Again his ruff ruff ruff
Comes out but with a twist
Of slobber-of-the-dog 
Like slug slime on a log
But then the branch I missed
My leap was not enough

Will I be fast enough?
I land a little rough
Like a Mrs who has missed
Playing twister with a twist
Right behind the log
To the surprise of dog

The dog who’s had enough
Leaps log and mutters “Ruff?”
I twist — again — he’s missed!

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