Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

Author:Margarita Engle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

18

GABE THE DOG

DOG TRUTHS

At night, Tony lies awake,

stroking my head

and whispering

our

summer plans.

All I care about is the our word.

As long as we’re together

time will feel round

and safe.

19

TONY THE BOY

UNO

Mountain chores are easy.

No decisions. No numbers.

No grown-up

responsibilities.

All I have to do is help my uncle

plant his garden,

pick fruit and vegetables,

chop firewood,

and cook berries

so that we can surprise

hungry thru-hikers

with fresh-baked pies,

a gift that leaves us chuckling,

because each adventurer

from Sweden, Canada, or Chile

can devour a whole pie

and still look hungry.

Cowboys on horseback

aren’t starving, but they are

full of gratitude each time we drop off

a pie while they’re herding cattle

up to high, peaceful meadows

that look like smooth green lakes.

Old cowboys help Tío teach me

wilderness lore. I learn that beaver houses

are built of sticks,

while muskrat lodges

are mostly mud.

I learn that fence lizards have smooth

blue bellies but newts on this mountain are warty red,

and I memorize natural patterns,

like the upside-down V

in the paw print

of a red fox—scientific name:

Vulpes vulpes.

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