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Dog Star

In the distance
the Dog Star’s echo

Image provided by Bibliotecapleyades

It went out there when first
he faced his hungry abandon

It was already growing
deep in his braided chest
where no one had ever been

It sailed out over the city
and mingled with others
some centuries old
some from ancient packs

It reached from inside my ear
while I slept
reached into deep firmament
and led me out
to meet my own hungry abandon
running on the edge
not knowing if the pack
will catch up
or turn away forever

In the distance
the Dog Star’s echo
still out there
still in deep firmament
hungry abandon
where no face lingers

Retreat from so far distant
into the melee of the pack
the polyphony of hearts beating
familiar smells
the joy on the crispest
seven-dog night

Nights the Dog Star’s echo
reaches into all
into hungry abandon
deep firmament and
into the anchor of the pack

Written by Jackie T. Gabel: Jack Gabel presently lives in Portland, Oregon. He has traveled extensively, throughout Europe, Africa and Asia and worked many summers as a commercial fisherman in Alaska. Jack Gabel has written numerous concert hall works for many different combinations of instruments and voices. He also creates mixed-media works using musique concrete and poetry, frequently his own, some of which has been published apart from its use in contemporary performance pieces and more traditional settings for singers. Today, Gabel’s work is infused with widely varied ethnic and ancient colors and motives, most notably those of the ancient, native cultures of North America.

Read by Will de Meo: Will was brought in the English countryside and has been an actor since a very young age. He moved out to New York 3 years ago to study the Meisner technique and has been fortunate enough to learn under some of the greatest teachers the profession has to offer. He recently graduated from the William Esper Studio and was the first Englishman to complete their fulltime course. He has somewhat fallen into a career as a voiceover artist and has really enjoyed the work he has been lucky enough to recieve. He looks forward to whatever the future brings.