Yellow Fur: a dog poem by Sheila Martindale

 

Yellow Fur

for Charlie

I emptied the vacuum cleaner today

and wept

over the yellow fur

shed before you left

for that place in doggie heaven

reserved for good and faithful friends

And as my tears fell

I remembered the day I found you

limp and unloved

your muscles wasted

your eyes deep pools of sadness

And of the joy you brought me

as you gained your health and strength

and how for years we ran and played

and how your damp muzzle

caressed my knees and toes

and how I buried my face

in your warm yellow fur

the last remnants of which

I remove from the filter now

Sheila Martindale