When a dog knows too much

By Jane Hyphen
- 198 reads
When a dog knows too much
he will soon return to the place where all dogs are made
and you must begin to pack for his departure.
Pack his exuberance into the lightwell of your heart
to draw upon in the duller days ahead.
Pack his fearlessness into the gap
where fright once tore a hole in your resolve.
Place his image in a heart-shaped frame
to hang on the inner walls of the room
where you go as you drift off to sleep.
When he looks into your eyes with knowing
but you are full of doubt, remember,
a dog is like a holiday;
you must control the urge to taint the end with sadness
because a dog would never do this.
He put his trust in you, now fold it away
to open later when you’re feeling shaky.
Pack his scent into your first aid kit, label,
‘Inhale deeply during times of strain’
His companionship is safely interred in a bond
to draw upon whenever you need a friend.
Pack his love away deeply and firm it down.
Allow the roots of it to spread across your lifetime,
to hold you up when you are weak.
When he understands every word you say,
he’s bracing to bow out of the outer world.
Stay lit for his remaining days,
knowing you’ve packed him up safely.
Forever in your inner universe.
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Comments
What a lovely heartfelt poem
What a lovely heartfelt poem Jane. I've owned dogs all my life and I know exactly where you're coming from. Memorable!
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I think taking things one dog
I think taking things one dog at a time is best.
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I love these lines Jane...
I love these lines Jane...
a dog is like a holiday;
you must control the urge to taint the end with sadness
because a dog would never do this.
A lovely poem altogether, but you hit the nail right on the head just there. We have two dogs and time is running out for both of them. I'm sure I'll read your poem again.
Turlough
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My favourite lines too.
My favourite lines too.
When my first cat died, I cried buckets. Then I realised I was crying for me, not her, because she had gone and there was nothing more I could do for her. But there were lots of poor cats stll needing help from Cats Protection, where she came from. And there was something I could for them. So I gave a donation in her name, and although I still felt sad, it was a sort of positive sadness.
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Oh, Jane, you understand
Oh, Jane, you understand completely how it is.
THANK YOU for this Wise, Beautiful Truth
I hope all the animals who live with you are well, that this is not about one, now
As Turlough says, will want to read this again. Would it be ok to save it in my laptop?
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Jane this is beautiful and as
Jane this is beautiful and as everyone above has said, echoes with us all. It says everything that needs to be said without any of the mawkishness or euphemisms. Thank you - I will come back to this often, please don't ever remove it
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Thank you
Carefully constructed to carry the weight. Warm, comforting in a grief here or to come for many pet companions, for we are theirs, they are/were our guides.
Very best to you
L x
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I'm not an animal person. I
I'm not an animal person. I don't even eat them. But this is lovely.
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OK...Hang on a minute, I've
OK...Hang on a minute, I've got something in my eye.
Very beautiful. With any animal, you know that sooner or later they'll break your heart and mend it as well. I've said goodbye to four cats over the years. Forever in my inner universe indeed.
Thanks for this one.
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There's nothing quite like
There's nothing quite like the bond of a dog and its owner. It's over 3 years since our border collie died. I think the plan is to finally move on and get a new BC around Christmas time. We'll see.
A moving poem infused with love and empathy. Dogs are the best of us.
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This wonderful poem is our
This wonderful poem is our social media Pick of the Day
Please share far and wide
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