Your Pup and I
by Fay Harden, TCF Tuscaloosa, AL

Your old pup sleeps before the fire,
Muzzle resting on outstretched paws.
He twitches with a little yelp,
Reacting to a dream gone bad that he can't help.

A sound from outside jerks his head alert,
Ears listening intently,
Radar in search of your special step.
Not hearing the sound that he wants, he looks hurt.

His head goes down with a sigh.
He looks to me with mournful eyes.
I declare I think that dog sometimes cries...
He, like I, never dreamed you'd be the first to die.

He misses you as badly as I.
Even old pups want to know why...
And they grieve, like us, for one last good-bye,
And tonight I joined him as he cried.