Short Story - The Search For Rex Poem by Allen Steble The Philosophical Poet

Yawwwwwwwn!
I stagger out of my comfy bed
After a pleasant nights sleep
I am looking forward to my quiet day ahead


I walk out the back porch for my morning tea
I call Rex over 'here boy'
Where could he possibly be?

I search around anxiously in the back yard
'Rex, where are you? Reeeexxxx'
I search around long and hard

I notice the back gate was slightly ajar
'Rex must have gone wandering in the forest'
Surely he couldn't have gone very far

So out I go into the dense dark forest
Searching for my adventurous Rex
Nerves pinching at my pounding chest

What's that hiding?
In the bushes over there
Is that my Rex?
No...It's a hungry bear!

There's something in the tree ahead,
but for goodness sake!
That's not Rex
That's an angry snake!

Over there by the lake,
What's that splashing about
That's not Rex
That's a slimy trout

Somethings in that cave up ahead
I hear ‘flap, flap, flap'
But that's not Rex
That's a colony of vampire bats

Over yonder...
Somethings a-buzzing in those trees
That's not Rex
That's a swarm of Honey Bees

I stop for a moment to look around and...
What's that crawling up my pants?
That can't be Rex
Oh no! I am standing on a nest of army ants

So with haste I move forward
Walking some more through this rugged bush
Onward and upward I push through
As I search for Rex

I wander and gaze
Over the sun beaten plain
'Where are you Rex? '
And then... 'Oh no! ' it started to rain

The storm raged a tempest
And the wind, how it howled!
But no sign of Rex
Not even his playful growl

I hear a croak, croak, croak
Behind a drenched log
But I know Rex
and that's just a happy frog

I have wondered wearily
Alone so long and wide
To the forests eerie outskirts
I take a moment...to rest by the wayside

I slowly and carefully
Make my way back
Searching for my best friend Rex
Following closely by my earlier tracks

I stumble into a thick web
And ohhhh my eyes grow wider
I wish Rex were here with me
Because I just walked into a big brown spider! ! !

I brush off the sticky web
And stifle my pounding fear
Still searching for my rugged pal Rex
Ooooof! I trip over a dozing deer

I come close by to a crooked creek
wearing a tired painted on smile
As I hear a feint splash in the distance
But it's not Rex, no, it's a hungry crocodile!

I take the long way around,
as I tread my steps with care
My ears eager to hear the sound of Rex
Ahhhhhh, I stumble upon the same bear! ! !

I sprint toward home sweet home
Which by now was near by
I hear a feint bark in the distance
I sure hope that's my Rex, I sighed

I arrive exhausted and bruised
At my much awaited back gate
As I look eagerly left and right for Rex
And by golly...now it was getting late

I stagger on through into my back yard
Wearing wonderfully weary red eyes
When suddenly Rex jumps me from behind
Licking my nape with a pool of surprise

There you are my Rex!
You were home all along
He trampled me with excess excitement
Greeting me with his happy howling song

Mother came out glaring at me
with a glazed worrisome stare
Where have you been all this time?
'I have been searching for Rex everywhere'

'Well dear' she briefly smirked
'you should have just asked me,
this whole time you were aimlessly searching
Rex was at the front under the old fig tree'

We looked at each other briefly without a sound...
Then laughed and laughed till we fell to the ground