Black:


Little Davy watched as his Dad closed the bedroom door,
After saying, “goodnight my son,”
And Davy buried his head beneath the sheets and prayed that she would not come.

Hideous hag in long dark dress,
She entered his room each night,
To mutter and curse in unspoken verse,
And fill his heart with fright.

Davy decided to stay awake,
As he had on every night which came before,
But eventually eyes flickered, then closed,
And his worry was no more.

Around the witching hour,
He awakened with a start,
Icy fear clambered up his spine,
And grabbed hold his beating heart.

Bedroom door slowly opens,
The rooms filled with a blue grey light,
And young Davy could tell, it was different now,
She had come to claim him on this night.

Davy doesn’t want to go,
He desperately tries to resist,
But her cold and bony fingers,
Cut deep into his wrists.

She leads the boy from bedroom,
Along winding landings to the stairs,
And when at the top, then she did stop,
To gloat that finally he would now be theirs.

Icy fingers gripped tightly onto Davy’s shoulders,
Getting set for one big push,
And just as she was to launch him,
To send him flying through the air,
A low guttural roar, and then the sound of paws,
Moving ever closer up those stairs.

From the darkness, the shape that emerged was Old Black,
A lurcher, of good age and spirit true,
And although that dog sensed evil,
He never doubted what he should do.
Old Black moved quickly toward Davy,
Once side by side they grew strong,
Old Black’s canines bared and gleaming,
Little Davy’s fear now gone.

Now that dark woman spat out,
That she would have her way,
She raised her hands and versed silent bands,
But that old dog did not sway,
No matter what she tried this night,
From his boy he would not stray.

Suddenly, Old Black leapt forward,
And with one mighty canine roar,
He sank his teeth deep into her,
And dragged her to the floor.
With one last silent scream of rage,
That dark woman she was gone,
Old Black had banished her,
Back to where she did belong.

As Davy climbed back under his covers that night,
He felt so safe, secure,
With his old friend beside his bed,
Lying stretched out on the floor.

When Davy’s eyes opened, it was morning,
He squinted as he saw the light from the sun,
He leapt up and raced to his parents bedroom,
To tell of all that Old Black had done.

Mother sat up in bed, as she heard her boy come charging in,
She said, “Come and climb in here my son,
While we tell you of some things.”


As Davy climbed upon their bed his father cuddled him,
It was with reddened eyes, and between deep sighs,
But finally father did begin,
“I’m sorry son, but me and your mum,
Well there’s something we must say,
You see, at half past seven last night,
Old Black he did pass away,
He was just lying by the fireside,
And peacefully he slipped away.
I know it is sad, but we should just be glad that…”

“No! No! No!” Davy did protest,
“This cannot be right!
You see Old Black he came to me,
It was dark, it was late, and it was night!”

Well they said Davy was dreaming,
That he had imagined all which came before,
But I know what Old Black did that night,
Yes, I know what I saw,
He was there for me,
To care for me,
To stand right by my side,
Without you my faithful old friend,
Evil would never have been denied.

For Blackie, Always loved, never forgotten.