The Dogs at Live Oak Beach, Santa Cruz
Alicia Ostriker
- As if there could be a world
Of absolute innocence
In which we forget ourselves
- The owners throw sticks
And half-bald tennis balls
Toward the surf
And the happy dogs leap after them
As if catapulted—
- Black dogs, tan dogs,
Tubes of glorious muscle—
- Pursuing pleasure
More than obedience
They race, skid to a halt in the wet sand,
Sometimes they'll plunge straight into
The foaming breakers
- Like diving birds, letting the green turbulence
Toss them, until they snap and sink
- Teeth into floating wood
Then bound back to their owners
Shining wet, with passionate speed
For nothing,
For absolutely nothing but joy.
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