by Sue Barratt
MY BEST FRIEND
An awful time arrived today
When I had to watch the life of my best friend ebb away,
He looked at me with those dark brown soulful eyes,
Be strong he said and set me free.
No longer is there a welcoming bark
As my key turns the lock,
No wagging tail,
to greet me in the hall.
Some people say, it's just a dog,
But when at night I sit alone,
I can talk to him; he never answers that is true,
But a warm soft paw upon my knee, or a nuzzle of my hand
And I know he understands.
I never dreamt on that morning,
When he coaxed me awake,
That later in the day I would have a dreadful decision to make,
To stand and watch and weep while his life ebbed away.