Travelling south to Sydney on the Highway number one,
the night had just been broken by the rising of the sun.
The site of country homesteads surrounded by the dew
and the thought of a country breakfast, my stomach told me what to do.

South of Taree, at a truck stop became my very next aim
where a light but much needed breakfast would rid me of my hunger pain.
I entered the Old country cafe, ordered toast and a pot of white tea
and spoke to the road weary truckie who sat on a stool next to me.

“I’ll have the usual”, he uttered, “and throw in some extra for Dig”
and then he proceeded to tell me, “he’s the dog that’s out on my rig”.
“he travels wherever I travel, he’s with me by night and by day
and always rides high on the bonnet with his nose ever leading the way”.

“Bought him and the truck both together, both of them go hand in hand
and with me he travels long hours to cover most of this land.
While driving the long lonely highways, through deserts and great inland trail,
over ranges and high rugged mountains, I’ve always been chasing his tail”.

When the truckie had finished his breakfast he stood up and then walked away,
he mentioned he still had long miles that had to be covered today.
I followed him out to the doorway and watched as he boarded his rig
but there was no sign of his partner, the dog that he said he called Dig.

Still puzzled I walked to the counter and questioned the servery staff.
When I asked of the dog and the truckie the waitress started to laugh.
“For years he has told the same story and we only know him as Jack,
But the dog that he so proudly speaks of, is part of his R model MACK”.

Copyright © M C Lyons