Straw Dogs

The straw dogs are spreading pine straw in the beds
Men who dream while doing honest work
With a leaf of straw in each hand they shake
Back and forth, shimmy-shimmy-shake
Dust hanging in the sunlight
They spread the straw around the plants and trees
Day after day they work
Three thousand bales is not enough
Pedestrians on the sidewalks barely notice
But just as well for they are barely there
Their minds somewhere far away
As they shimmy-shimmy-shake
Dust into the air, pine straw on the ground