I was convinced she would never leave
even though the truth of it
ran alongside faster
as she slowed
in the end a quiet moment
took the comfort of her large dog self
and tucked it in the sky
now her gaze is a soft kiss on clear nights
when the stars are watching
________________________________
For my Newfie Aggie
July 23 2009 – August 28, 2021
Hummingbirds are gone
morning doves wait in the wings
gratitude for friends
As the day warms
the roof is smoking off last night’s wet
my dog lies paws crossed
at the screen door
the small world needs watching
Morning has brought friends
their presence a perfect gift
the leaves are turning
even with no voice
even choked on tears
even with a stuttered soul
even though the wind now bars escape
even wearing sunless winter rime
even when my body cools its farewell
I will know you by your chosen stars
Words are morning food
a friend’s poem passes the torch
the crossword can wait
Early air is still
three hummingbirds are swooping
rain will seed the clouds
Birds sing of delight
night rain has paid a visit
earth is drinking deep
Can a vacuum exist
without the memory
of that which it expelled
to give it shape?
Surely it can’t be
a true void if it has
held love.
He is the best boy
all joy and full on stalwart
puppy heart still beats
What brings you to your knees sun
on mornings when you flee the other world
and mask yourself with cloud
flattening the day’s light into scrim
I feel certain of your grief
and lie resigned to graying tears
running down a window cheek
the house dogs take dimness
as a time to sleep
so there is that
Opening the door I lean
to smell the subtle trail of spring
it is the time of violet night
of fading monochrome
when the other half of my heart
beats in echo time
slipping through the layers
of descending dark
to leave its kiss
Life With Horace 