When I Was Young

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