Letter From America: Dogweird
Ronnie Bray pays tribute to his canine friends.
We used to smile at dogweird ancients
Fawning over canine quadrupeds
Of indeterminate patrology.
But now we are become dogweird ourselves
Having learned the joys of doglove.
Our two are border collies with interest:
One from a wandering Newfoundland,
The other from a whippet that stopped his madrush
Just long enough to make a difference,
Adding speed to determination.
When they go where we go
There is contentment, smiles, and licks.
When they cannot go, they do not sulk
But whine childlike in unfeigned distress.
We take them when we can.
One opens the bathroom door in private moments:
He has no sense of decorum, but how he melts
Stony hearts, and is too sweet to make us angry.
These are our children now, and we are glad.
We are glad for every dogfilled moment of cuteness
That would be too empty in our failing years
Without what we have come to know.
We would not change this if we could.
For every sweet brown-eyed look of innocence
That meets our gaze and melt us down to tears,
We thank the loving hearts of our two dogs,
And for our two sweet dogs we thank our God.
We thank our God who knew that in old age
Some special comforts still would be required,
So made these tumbling children in all hues,
All shapes and sizes, and all kinds of fun.
And made the room within our ageing hearts
To push aside some cares which give us pain,
To let these canine creatures captivate our hearts
And in some moments make us young again,
Thank you for golden moments with our dogs,
For licks and slavers, and for upraised paws,
For frenzied welcomes, and for leapings up,
For every dogfilled joy, we thank you Lord.
