Faith Hope & Fiction

Mary loved paintings of Saints.
Dutiful, with a brandy flask in tow,
Bringing aid and comfort to strangers,
Lost and frozen in the alpine snow.

I fell to my knees when I saw you,
Drawn by the soul in your eyes.
The full measure of sorrow struck me.
Hugging you tight dear Tessie–I cried.

Mom’s gone, Mom’s gone,
The center of our lives has passed.
She’ll live in our hearts forever, sweet girl.
Nothing else in this world will last.

The Last Tail Wag

We let Dolly off her leash that morning,
No one seemed to mind.
She frolicked through the fresh snow,
Greeting everyone she could find.

Twice abandoned and craving love;
She came to us that spring.
Now, we basked in the special joy,
A Saint Bernard can bring

Bounding down snowy sidewalks,
Leaping through front yards.
She had us all smiling and laughing,
Like figures on a greeting card.

We lifted her into the car this morning
Her legs so swollen she could barely stand.
We never heard a sound of pain.
We drove in silence; Mary holding my hand.

Lying on the floor, a tube in her vein,
She had little time left to live.
When I walked through the door, she wagged her tail.
Till the very end, she had love to give.

Stroking her gently, I recalled that Sunday:
Dolly running freely through the snow.
You’ll never wear your leash again, sweet girl.
Off to heaven you go.

The Nose Kiss

Quiet as fog he stands by the bed,
Studying my face as I doze.
No whining or clomping this morning,
Just a gentle touch upon my nose.

Wake up and let me out Dad.
I promise to be good.
I want to run with the sunrise,
And taste the morning in the woods