No Sight in His Eyes

He was born without hearing nor sight in his eyes,
But with love in my heart to this challenge I’ll rise.
The sweetest of dogs I ever have known
He soon learned his way to live in my home.
Furniture was kept in its original place
For he knew his path and not once bumped his face.
To summon him you simply stomped on the floor,
Unless like a man he’d choose to ignore!
Your touch he loved dearly, he’d almost purr
As you stroked and scratched through his thick fur.
Tho his tail was a menace for it never stopped,
Low tables were cleared as across them it mopped.
His keen sense of smell was uncanny to see
As we tried to hide snacks, he knew our trickery.
To fool him, forget it, you didn’t have a prayer
For that nose never stopped sorting scents from the air.
At times he’s my comic but most times my angel
With him at my side I’m forever so thankful.
He’s taught me a lesson of having faith in life,
A handicaps no problem if you handle it right.
Tho I’m not so sure I’d be brave as he,
To be both deaf and blind I fear a failure I’d be.
My love for this dog, well, there’s not even a question
The bond shared between us is complete perfection.
I’m not really sure why I chose him from the others,
Pity, well maybe, he was mistreated by his brothers.
But I choose to believe that his heart touched mine,
Oh, the joy I have had from a dog deaf and blind!
Would I do it again, well you just watch and you’ll see,
The blur that went by….is me leaving with three!
Kathy Henderson

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Part of my Soul

I wake up each morning to start a new day
Yet somehow for me they all go the same way.
My body doesn’t know the rest it just had
The pain in my back can sometimes be bad.
Its good I walk slowly for the one following me
Barely can walk on stiff jointed knees.
Old age has caught us and taking its toll,
We both have our pains and both move so slow.
So strong in her youth, such bounce to her step
It was hard to keep up with the pace that she set.
I was proud of her then and still proud of her now,
By sharing my life she’s part of me somehow.
Her companionships given peace to my life
When times seemed unbearable she never once left my side.
She protected me to when others showed their anger,
The low growl from her throat warned them of their danger.
I know others can boast the same of their pets,
I don’t doubt their word, I understand but yet,
To speak of my girl her muzzle white as the snow
She not only shares my heart but part of my soul.
I know there are those who think me daft and senile
But my love of this dog, you see, there’s just no denial.
I remember her youth then see her brave struggle
To get to my chair where we always would snuggle.
Now she must be lifted where once she’d just jump
But I’ll gladly help her through life’s greatest hump.
In terms of dog years compared to those of a man
She’s much older than I with a shorter life span.
Her years of devotion, love and yes, even respect,
Have earned her the best possible help I can get.
I know the time is near when I must let her go,
She’ll take with her my heart and part of my soul.
For now it’s her comfort foremost in my mind
For I find it so hard to repay her many years so kind.
Kathy Henderson
8 - 1999

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Quality of Life

Its early in the morning, I’m the only one up,
Waiting for coffee I need my first cup.
A quiet time when thoughts bring back the past,
Times I so miss that will never come back.
I remember the kids that are now grown
Who now are so busy with lives of their own.
Family that’s left us, some young and some old,
Leaving our hearts torn and feeling so cold.
Their memories important but they also share
The memories of others that my hearts so aware.
They had four legs and such waggily tails,
They shared my life to, a part of me as well.
My life now uncertain, my independence is gone,
Each day is the same, for me it seems so wrong.
Tho my life is not bad, it does have its blank spots,
For things I want most are the things I have not.
A crafter I am, my list of talents quite long
My hands always busy until things went so wrong.
Each project tackled I had help by my side,
A fuzzy face that smiled to help boost my pride.
I so miss the pets loved in my life’s time
For now it’s so empty, I have nothing of mine.
There’s a quality of life we set for ourselves
That when taken away, we no longer excel.
Minds become idle and live in the past,
Hearts that are broken content not to last.
A life filled with memories in those yesterdays,
A reminder of the quality that’s lost in today.
Each day is a challenge, a reason to find
A little happiness in a world so cold and so blind.
Hearts living in pain just live through the day
Waiting for night where in dreams they may play.
Life is so cruel for it gives and then takes
The quality we treasured and for which our heart aches.
Kathy Henderson
11 - 1999

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