Beyond the White Gate

In the West Country deep, down a quiet narrow lane
A haggard white gate stood in shame
For its task was to guard a disgraceful event
That was due to take place on that day

Beyond the white gate was a brown muddy track
That led to an old dairy farm
There were cowsheds, a farmhouse, a caravan too
Overlooked by a large wooden barn

Set to one side, was a rusty old hut
That had crudely been fashioned together
Inside lay a dog, with a chain round his neck
By which he was shackled and tethered

Ben was his name, a beautiful boy
But the light of his soul had been dimmed
His skin rife with mange and blood in his ears
His living conditions were grim

Ben was brought in to herd on the farm
An art that he struggled to learn
Through bombardments of beatings, the bellowed instructions
Proved too much for him to discern

Unable to meet the farmer’s demands
Ben’s life was deemed without worth
Assuming that solely to work on that farm
Was why he was put on this earth!

So there he was chained, by day and by night
The subject of cruel persecution
But it wouldn’t end there, for this was the day
That was marked for his execution!

Branded ‘no-good!’ ‘A waste of resources!’
He was to be shot on that day
But the farmer remembered that guests were en route
So his murderous plans were delayed

A family had booked the old caravan
For a two-week vacation together
And when they met Ben, he soon found his place
In each of their hearts forever

The couple had children, a girl and a boy
They visited Ben every day
Feeding him treats and smoothing his fur
They just couldn’t stay away!

One time, having asked for the farmer’s permission
The family took Ben to the beach
It was only about a mile away
But had always been out of his reach

Oh, how he bounded and galloped with glee
Upon the sands of Widemouth Bay
As heaven stopped, and smiled down from above
To witness his greatest day!

Soon came the day for the family to leave
And Ben was once more confined
But not in that hut, but the back of their car
For they’d never have left him behind

Through patience and kindness, he slowly recovered
From previous damage inflicted
He’d finally found the life he deserved
His spirit no longer constricted

Nourished with love, Ben became strong
A colossus, a king of his kind
He lived a long life, in glorious light
Past shadows left firmly behind

Through decades that followed, his spirit endured
He surely could not be forgotten
And one of the ripples his impact had birthed
Reached another whose life had been rotten

In need of a home, some thirty years later
Bernie had suffered like Ben
Tied up and tormented for most of his life
Does the cruelty of man have no end!!!?

The boy from the family, all grown up by now
Was inspired by Ben’s memory
He adopted poor Bernie, so damaged and scared
That boy—may I add—was me!

Bernie’s full tale is yet to be told
As he starts his next chapter anew
But for Ben, I’ll continue to carry you close
My dear boy, I wrote this for you