by June Manion
I was just small, maybe four at the most,
Mom holding my hand, walked us to the edge of the busy street,
Lady, a collie, amber and white, a beautiful sight,
Joined us to protect from strangers we might meet.
The grocery, a frequent spot for our needs,
Was across a busy four lane filled with speed.
Children dont know about hurt or dead,
And on that day I did a horrible deed.
Im a big girl, let go of my hand.
No, she said, youre too little to let go.
But Ill stand right beside you,
Im giving my promise you know.
She released my hand, her eyes full of trust,
Like a bullet I darted into the traffic ahead,
Lady, her loving and protecting, coming before herself,
Threw herself in front of me and the truck, lay on the pavement dead.
Wake up Lady! I screamed and cried.
Please dont leave us because I lied.
Come back and protect us, Im so sorry,
Its all my fault that you have died.
A great lesson was learned that day,
At the cost of a dog named Lady having to die,
I learned to cherish and treasure my pets,
And to never never tell a lie.
In order to make restitution,
In order to repay this tremendous debt,
I vowed from that day forward,
To never hurt another animal or pet.