Lovies in the Sun 

The sun beams down 

So warm and bright 

Mom throws the ball 

I run! 

I catch it 

And return to mom 

For lovies in the sun 

I see a squirrel! 

I chase it down! 

Mom calls me back 

I come. 

She coos my name

And pats my head 

Sweet lovies in the sun. 

I sniff the grass 

So many smells! 

I roll around 

For fun! 

Mom comes to me 

For belly rubs 

More lovies in the sun! 

I bark at birds 

And chase the clouds 

Until the day 

Is done 

Oh what a perfect 

Happy day 

For lovies in the sun!

The Cone of Shame

I have an itch I cannot scratch 

And on my side a naked patch 

In horror I see the vet attach 

About my neck 

The cone of shame 

I’m scraping against every corner

Brother my observing scorner

The girl I was before - I mourn her

Will I never be the same?

For now I wear the cone of shame

I stalk about the house and brood

I can barely eat my food 

All beware this sullen mood 

With spite I bear

The cone of shame 

At the park I bow my head 

The moment I await with dread

And all the things that will be said

When they will see 

The cone of shame 

The dogs approach me looking weary 

I hide behind Mom feeling dreary

I see their faces turning sneery 

As they mock 

My cone of shame 

Will this torture never end? 

I feel my will begin to bend 

I am unable to pretend 

That I do not wear

The cone of shame 

And just when I’m becoming numb

The day I thought would never come 

And the tie around my neck undone 

The vet removes 

The cone of shame! 

The vet says that I am a fighter

My neck is feeling so much lighter 

The future now is looking brighter 

For now I’m rid 

The cone of shame!

Rent 

Mom is looking 

At her shiny box 

The box I do not 

Like at all 

The box makes her 

Forget to give me 

Lovies and pets 

I am lonely 

She stares 

She says 

An unhappy word 

That I do not understand 

Mom looks at me 

Hooray! My tail wags 

I like it when 

Mom looks at me 

She says more words 

In an unhappy voice 

“Pull your weight” 

And 

“Freeloader” 

I worry 

My ears go down 

Have I been naughty? 

I do not remember 

Mom smooshes my face 

She kisses me on my nose 

She smiles and my ears go up 

Her voice is sweet now 

She says 

“You’re lucky 

You’re so cute” 

I am confused

But happy.

I sit and wait here 

To be found 

I jump at every 

Unknown sound 

When will someone 

Come around 

Someone to bring me 

Home 

I think of home 

Which is not here 

It is elsewhere

That is clear 

Will I find it? 

What I fear 

Is no one 

To call home 

I see her there 

One of a kind 

There is one thing 

On my mind 

Is the the one 

I hoped to find?

A dog to give 

A home 

Could I be home? 

Could home be here 

Would she have 

Nothing left to fear 

With someone who

Will hold her dear 

Am I the someone 

She’ll call home

In my belly 

Lights a fire 

Will you grant 

My heart’s desire?

Do I dare hope 

I may acquire 

A safe place 

To call home 

Is this home? 

Could home be here? 

Is this my someone 

To hold dear 

A place where nothing 

I need fear 

A person 

To call home 

And in her eyes 

I know I see 

My own soul 

Staring back at me 

A friend she will 

Forever be 

And I will bring her home 

Here is home 

And home is here 

Home is wherever 

You are near 

And to my heart 

You are most dear 

For with me 

You are home 

And with that look 

My heart does soar 

This is what I 

Have waited for 

Someone to keep me 

Safe and warm 

Someone to call 

Home 

Here is home 

And home is here 

Home is wherever 

You are near 

And I have nothing

Left to fear

For with you

I am home 

The joy inside 

Is so profound 

Two lonely hearts 

Forever bound 

It feels so lovely 

To be found 

Together we are 

Home

Grandpa 

Rough hands 

Soft smile 

Tummy rubs

For awhile

Outside 

Fun play 

Sweet pets

Warm day  

Long walks 

Pine trees 

Cool air 

Light breeze 

Tug war 

I win

Loud laugh 

Big grin 

Back home

Day ends

Cookies 

Best friends 

Man’s Best Friend

Man takes a stroll 

Dog runs ahead 

Man smiles at 

His old best friend 

He stops and looks 

Across the trees

Dog’s fur blows softly

In nature’s breeze

Man stops to rest

And Dog does too 

Both quiet and 

Take in the view 

They come to this spot 

Every year 

A tradition Man and Dog

Hold dear

They’ve walked these woods

A thousand times 

Knowing every curve 

Of the hills they climb 

Man comes back 

He walks alone 

He carries his dog’s 

Favorite bone 

And lays it down 

Where dog would rest 

And feels the aching 

In his chest 

The familiar breeze

Comes floating by 

Man raises his eyes 

To the sky 

And whispers thank you 

To his best friend 

Someday they’ll walk here 

Together again

I sit inside and bundle tight 

Against this cold dark winters night 

And look outside of my window 

Out to the fresh new falling snow 

When suddenly there skips a beat

And in my chest my heart does leap

Something my eyes say cannot be

Yet here it is in front of me

A gift that nature has bestowed

I see a daisy in the snow 

The landscape changes with this sight 

A less dark cold and lonely night 

Through this unforgiving winter fling 

This daisy brings the warmth of spring 

Each day I check if it is there 

Though the ground is cold and bare

The daisy searches for the sun

It knows its journey is not done 

And I pray that Mother Nature knows

To warm this daisy in the snow 

One day the weather looks quite dreary

I see the daisy looking weary

And its resolve begins to fold 

As it wilts out in the cold 

And with a jolt I rush outside 

Panic driving every stride 

I try to dig down to its roots 

But crush a petal with my boots 

And so I leave it there to grow 

This tiny daisy in the snow 

Each day I watch it from afar

And wish on every midnight star

That as winter turns the mountains blue 

This daisy stays to see it through 

One day the snow begins to thaw 

Exposing earth afresh and raw

More colors come back into view 

As the earth begins anew 

And with the wind the spring does sew 

A patch of daisies in the snow 

And in the middle of the patch 

A sight that prompts my breath to catch

For in my heart I know I see 

My daisy blooming back at me

It’s strong because it had to fight 

Through each dark lonely winters night 

And as the winter fades away

I know it will be here to stay

The daisy is now free to grow

No longer trapped by winter’s snow

Breathe

How many times

Have I shamed him

For something he

Cannot control

Or tried to force him

Tried to love him

Far too hard

In all the wrong ways

How do I let go

Of him, of the guilt

For only pushing him

Deeper underwater

I have been a weight

Clinging desperately to him

But I did my best

With what I knew

But I know better now

I can do better now

I can love him better now

If it is not too late

And let him learn to swim again

Let him learn to breathe again

On his own

For himself

And love him

From the shore

Swimming out to him

But never swimming for him

In hopes that one day

He will grow even stronger

And he will swim

To shore with me

Love Goggles 

He looks at her with “love goggles” 

That is what she says to me 

My sister, who I adore 

About the man that she will marry 

And I know for certain 

That he is the one 

Because before him I thought 

No one could love her more than me 

But not only does he love her more 

But he loves her better too

He sees the parts of her 

That no one else can reach 

He is the water to her fire 

The gentle breeze to her powerful storm 

Her match, her equal 

The safest place she can find 

To me she is extraordinary 

But to him she is perfection 

She is the rising and the setting 

Of the sun each and every day 

After two years, he still wears love goggles 

But I am certain 

That even when my sister is gray 

She will be no less perfect in his eyes 

She will still be the rising and the setting 

Of the sun 

She will shine no less brightly 

She will still light fires in his heart 

And I know that I can let her go

Because she has found her home 

With the man who wears love goggles 

Just for her 

Rachel ‘s Poem 

She walks with purpose 

With confidence 

With command in every stride 

And I am reminded 

Of the little girl 

That followed me

 everywhere I went 

My little shadow 

I see her sometimes 

That sweet girl 

With whom I have shared

My whole life 

I see her in the woman 

That she has become 

Steadfast and fair 

Intelligent and kind 

The child who cuddled 

Close to me at night 

Beneath blankets 

When she was afraid 

Is a woman now 

With the courage 

The power 

The ferocity of a lioness 

The strength of a hurricane 

She blazes like the sun 

Warming the darkest places 

And burning oppressors in her wake 

Her mind is a garden 

Her words are as calm and steady 

As the ocean 

Beneath a wide blue sky 

Oh what a joy 

To be the sister 

Of this goddess 

My heart swells with pride