A Day at the Races

Lots of dogs around the trucks
Some are shy and try to duck
Sibes, Alaskans, Shepherds, Mutts -
All have made the final cuts

Harness up and boot their feet
Check the lines and hide the meat
Excitement oozes from the critters
Every musher has the jitters

I am sweating, my dogs panting
Hyped up mushers- raving, ranting
"Where's my hook? my snaps? my sled?
I've lost my hat, my mitts, my head!"

Red flag's up, then gold, then green
My dogs, all hooked up, start to scream
One minute left, and then we'll go
Not just yet "Hey Sonic, WHOA!"

The gun goes off, the screaming ends
A heavy silence settles in
The crowd is wondered, awed, amazed
To see thirty teams depart today

We're cluttered at the bottleneck
I hold my team in steady check
It straightens out; we speed along
Hearing only dog-feet songs

Cheering, pedalling, I work too
Other teams - I pass a few
Up hill, down hill, through the fields
Across the roads, we do not yield

Running, racing, down the trail
Watching only wagging tails
Slipping, sliding, round the bend
Coming on to journey's end

A team ahead, a team behind
Pushing for the finish line
My dogs are driving; we hit a bump
I flip the sled but turn back up

We're third again. "Come on! Get up!"
The accident has slowed us up
We inch ahead, slowly, surely
From the crowd "Drive'em, girly!"

The other teams begin to tire
We pull alongside at the wire
"Photo finish!" cries the crowd
"A three way tie for first, no doubt!"

Never, ever, in all my days
Have I had to share first place
I've taken second many times
But, gee, I hope this one is mine

As I await the timer's thoughts
I cool my dogs out - they were hot
Soon a voice comes on the air
"The girl has won it by a hair!"

I catch my breath and turn to stare
At the small group gathered there
"Yipee!" I shout- I'm filled with glee
We've earned this one, my dogs and me

(c) Erin English 1996
Written for Grade 10 English Class