Great Dane

You once met
with a man of philosophic bent

Your berry-black nose
heathily wet
met his burdened traveller's legs

You upended him
and thoughts spilt from his skull
like yolk from a breakfast egg

You stood and panted
and when he came to
muddied, bruised
he did not recognise
his leaking blood
saw it as the eagle views the Nile
and innocent
as the noble savage he beheld
the universe and you
and saw
I
the world
whole and perfect
as the egg before the spoon's
stroke

You waited
gave him time to rise
Huffing clouds of moisture
into the cold sharp air