THE COMFORTER
 
In No Man's Land, where the dead men lie,
Where the shrapnel bursts and the bullets fly,
A boy lay shattered and all alone,
Gritting his teeth to choke a groan.
 
Friends he had, but he had to die,
Broken and bleeding and wondering why
No comrade came to grip his hand
And wish him luck in the other land.
 
He never had planned to die like this,
Out in the grass where the bullets hiss,
Untended, helpless and foul with mud,
Watching the flow of his living blood.
 
His eyes grew dim and he tried to pray,
And the God of His Fathers, far away,
Gazed in pity and sent a friend
To guard him close to the bitter end.
 
Out in the grass a face looked up,
The shaggy face of an Airedale pup.
Homely he was, but his deep brown eyes
LIghted with love and a glad surprise.
 
One could crawl and the other smile,
Both were dying, but after a while,
A boy and a dog lay side by side,
Happy together - and so they died.
 
 
~Kenneth G. Duffield
     9/23/46
 

When I am Old…

I shall wear Turquoise and soft gray sweatshirts... and a bandana over my silver hair...and I shall spend my Social Security Checks on Sweet Wine and My Dogs...and sit in my house on my well-worn chair, and listen to my dog's breathing.

I will sneak out in the middle of a warm Summer night and take my dogs for a run, if my old bones will allow... and when people come to call, I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...and talk of them and about them...

The Ones so Beloved of the Past and the Ones so Beloved of Today....

I still will work hard cleaning after them and mopping and feeding them and whispering their names in a soft, loving way.
I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel, and I will be an embarrassment to all...and my family... who have
not yet found the peace in being free to have dogs as your Best Friends....

These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep, to greet you as if you are a God.

With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will stay and hug their big, strong necks...and kiss their dear sweet heads...and whisper to them of your love and the beautiful pleasure of their very special company....

I look in the Mirror...and see I am getting old.... this is the kind of woman I am...and have always been. Loving dogs is easy, they are part of me, accept me for who I am, my dogs appreciate my presence in their lives... when I am old this will be important to me... you will understand when you are old.... & if you have dogs to love too.

Author Unknown

Kes

For the love of the one you own
You rent your soul
For the love of him who never questions
You sacrifice all
For one delve into those warm, forgiving eyes
You’d do anything
For the love of a dog

The one who always listened,
Never answered back
Soft body I clung to in hours of need
Tears soaked up with his warmth
Showed how to love
How to care
The spark of an obsession
An obsession fuelled by his example
Snatched away after so little time
To live elsewhere, the place matters not
It was not with me
When I wanted you, I fell into nothing

You helped your first master see
When all was dark for him
Gave the freedom no one else could
Then came to us
When your body was giving out

As you gave up the ghost I was somewhere else
Against my will
I would have given anything to be there
Hold you till the veil dissolved
And you were gone

I’ve never forgotten you, I never could
My time with you was precious
I give these words to you
As you play endlessly in Heaven
Wait for me?

For the memory of Kes
 

© Melanie Stilgoe 2004
 
 


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