My adorable dog of ten years
I think of the times we've had.
We picked you up and brought you home,
and you whined the entire way.
They told us you would be small
with your dad being a miniature-poodle and all.
An obvious lie, we found,
as you could soon steal food from the table.
Mom nicknamed you Jaws when you prowled around the table
and snatched my friend's Jr. Bacon Cheese Burger,
which was gone before you got to the living room.
The weird things you like to eat,
like tissues, new or used,
and cardboard, yogurt cups,
a full bottle of Elmer's glue; leaving only the orange cap behind.
That time you ate an entire bird, legs and all.
You were not a happy puppoo that week.
Your liking for chapstick, lipgloss,
a brand new packs of gum and bars of chocolate
is pretty gross.
It's a wonder you aren't dead!
You always eat my stuff
and it makes me so angry!
But I can't stay mad at you,
contention sends you under my bed.
You've grown too big in the many years we've had,
so you get stuck and whine until someone, usually me,
lifts the bed and lets you out.
You drive the family crazy at dinner
Every night you drink loudly during the prayer,
and whine a look cute until we can't resist
to give you the food we enjoy.
A bark like a mastiff:
you scare away strangers.
But if you know who's at the door,
you make them feel right at home.
Matthew and I tussle,
"He's getting me! Help!" I scream.
But rather than attack the attacker
you bit ME on the butt.
You're a crack-head, Saddie.
And we take full advantage of it.
Take off your collar and throw it down the hall.
The tag-heavy collar somehow makes you angry;
you give it the death-whip and run
as it clobbers you around the head.
Bystanders must be wary
For you throw the collar without warning
and they flinch away from the pending pain.
Saddie, Saddie
you're such a lady.
Why must you rub your just-groomed face
all over the living room floor!?
Your bow was so cute!
Why'd you take it out!?
Squatting in the snow is never fun.
But a dog must do what must be done.
A snow-flinger attacks the snow
and you bark like you're being beaten.
Shivering and wet we bring you inside,
towel you off and make you roll around.
I place a treat on your nose; but you just don't get it.
Instead of popping it up to catch it, you simply look down.
Saddie my baby,
I could write about you forever
if I never ran out of lead and paper.
But all poems must end somewhere,
so I have one more thing to say:
You've had a long day of running about.
You fluff up my pillows into your own little nest,
and growl when I try to move you out of the way.
Oh my puppy: I watch you sleep,
your nose and legs twitch with the dreams you visit.
Dreams of birds and bunnies; endless places to explore.
I listen to you whine and grunt
and know your dream has turned scary
Rescued by a gentle stroke,
you curl up on my chest,
and I quietly giggle at the touch
of a cold, wet nose.
A puppy nose.
