When I was young
I hunted quail
Behind bird dogs
With level tails
I did not know
Nor did I care
That tails straight up
Were debonair
But then I learned
Of the American Field
The magazine about
Bird dogs and their trials afield
That learning cost me
Many a dollar
As my taste in canines
Elevated
But now I’m old
And understand
Takes more than tail
To make a champion bird dog or a good man