I love loving you,
And lick kisses that glue giggles and memory moments to the palm of my hand,
Where I hold your leash
On long walks on the beach.
But my mind of wishing wells and wishful thinking,
It ponders the day that we part,
And my eyes and my heart sink,
The thought of the shortness of your life,
And the longness of mine,
And I ask the world, “why?”
But I think more.
And the world answers.
One day I will lose you,
I will go to put on my shoes
And no excitable, fluffy leaping pup
Will wait for her coat and her rope
To tag along, and sing songs
In her mom’s car,
And bark at the bustling city walkers
On windy sidewalks.
One day,
I will go to lay my head on my pillow,
And no wiggly warm lump will plop in the
Crevice of my bent legs,
Dreaming dreams of treat begging,
And taking walks at sunset.
Yes, one day I will lose you
But I will bravely hold that burden,
If it means,
That you’ll never lose me.
Until the day you must go,
I’ll spoil you in every way,
And love you endlessly,
And protect your tiny, padded feet
From hot pavements and salty streets
And keep your smiles and tail wags
In tip top shape.
Until the day you must go,
I’ll cherish the minutes and seconds,
And the second thoughts of why-nots
When we take risks and cross bridges,
Together as doggy and mom.
I’ll strengthen the bond,
Until my hands tire,
The same hands that belly rub
And hold water for your panting tongue,
And grip your leash when we run.
You’ll never know the sadness
Of my leave,
Or grieve at my wooden box,
Or wonder if you’ve heard my last step in the hallway,
While you lay alone.
No,
That is my fate to bare,
And I will be there,
The day you must go,
And I will feel the stab of sad and the long-lasting sting of goodbye,
But I will bravely hold that burden
Til the day it comes true,
If it means that you’ll never have to.