My little dog ten years
ago
Was arrogant and spry,
Her backbone was a bended
bow
For arrows in her eye.
Her step was proud, her
bark was loud,
Her nose was in the sky,
But she was ten years
younger then,
And so, by God, was I.
Small birds on stilts
along the beach
Rose up with piping cry,
And as they flashed beyond
her reach
I thought to see her
fly.
If natural law refused
her wings,
That law she would defy,
For she could do unheard-of-things,
And so, at times, could
I.
Ten years ago she split
the air
To seize what she could
spy;
Tonight she bumps against
a chair,
Betrayed by milky eye.
She seems to pant, Time
up, time up!
My little dog must die,
And lie in dust with
Hector's pup;
So, presently, must I.
Ogden Nash
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
Hear our prayer for man's best friend,
Filled with true hope and care and love.
For this our prayer of concern we send
Straight to the Lord above.
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That come when we call
That greet us at the door
That gaze at us with big brown eyes
That have a favorite toy.
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That have no one to go to
That stare silently out of cages
That refuse to make eye contact
That have no toys to play with
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That sit on the cat
That lie at our feet
That would do anything for a cookie
That give us a wet sloppy kiss
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That have never known companionship
That sleep wherever they can
That have not eaten for days
That bite in pure panic driven defense
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That try to fit on our laps
That step on our toes
That will wear silly hats
That take up the whole couch
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That shiver in the cold
That cower in terror
That have never been for a walk
That have no home.
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That push us out of bed
That wiggle all over when we come home
That knock over the trash can
That bring such joy to our day
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That live only to give birth
That have nothing to look forward to
That forage for food
That may never hear a kind word
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That look for us if we leave the room
That hide under the table on "nail day"
That forget the word stay
That love us no matter what
WE PRAY FOR OUR DOGS
That have eyes that reflect pain and fear
That hide in alleys
That live tied to a tree
That have never been loved
We pray for dogs that run in play and those
that run because of
fright,
for those that obey out of love and those
that try to oblige until
they break,
for those we never give up on and for those
that don't get a
second chance.
Embrace these little and not so little
ones. Guard them,
protect them,
and grant them a peace that only we as humans
can deny them.
Forgive mankind's abuse to these that were
meant to be a most precious
and special gift.
AMEN
Vonnie Matheny
2/97