“Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost”* 

Contribution to JOCO Cruise 2023 Rhyming Story Shadow Cruise Event    
 

He never meant to stop a crime.

Why would he bother? Waste of time.

But when the dog gave him that look,

That trusting gaze, that tender hook —

He couldn’t leave it lying there,

All supine-shaggy, little bear.

Alone, abject, unhappy mutt,

Where was its owner? Why was it shut

Inside the car, beside the bar,

The sun a lethal shining star.

 

He checked the handle — no such luck.

The lock was latched or maybe stuck.

The window tight against its top,

The heat inside would never drop.

The dog looked tired, its shoulders sagged,

And yet its tail still wagged and wagged

As watching soulful canine eyes

Took in his fumbling fruitless tries

To force the door or pick the lock —

Oh what the f**k, he’d get a rock.

 

The tumbleweeds were drifting by

Beneath a sullen sweltering sky.

He squinted back across the street.

A thing he’d tripped on, stubbed his feet,

A chunk of asphalt, like a toad,

Sat squat and central in the road.

He paused a moment, looked both ways,

No cars in sight, just dusty haze.

So darting out, he scooped it up —

A stone to save a lonely pup.

 

He raised the rock above his head

And smashed it down, his vision red. 

The windshield shattered. Piece by piece,

Glass fell along the hood’s hinge crease.

He reached inside and flipped the latch,

Opened the door, stood back to catch

The dog who leapt from far back seat 

Into his arms, escaping heat.

But not yet free. He heard a cry,

An angry shout, a bellowed “Die!”

 

A man in black, tomato-faced,

Out of the dismal barroom raced.

“You stole my dog! You broke my glass!

I’m gonna knock you on your ass!”

The dog was trembling, what to do?

The man was big enough for two

With muscles bulging, tee-shirt tight.

He braced himself for bloody fight.

Then pickup truck pulled up beside,

And friendly voice asked, “Want a ride?”

 

Without a thought, he scrambled up,

His arms still full of shaking pup.

The angry man in black gave chase

In vain; no mortal could this truck outpace. 

The driver smiled and shifted gear.

“I’m guessing you’re not from round here?

No local takes on Murder Jim.”

She smiled again. “A man like him

Needs shaking up. Yeah, Jim’s a Trog.

If I were you, I’d keep the dog.”

 

“Thanks,” he said. “I’m passing through.

But aren’t you local? He’ll kill you!”

She shrugged. “It’s time I left this town.

I’ve always wanted to drive down

This highway ‘til it meets the sea.”

A sideways glance. “You’ll come with me?”

It didn’t take him long to choose.

New friends, a road, nothing to lose,

Long miles before them, high and low,

And all their stories still to know.

 
*Title taken from “The Riddle of Strider” by J. R. R. Tolkien