DOG DAYS (7)

The final poem of Dog Days week is dedicated to Holly, our little Border terrier, and was written during the last years of her life when her longevity and devotion had earned her the right to occasionally snooze on our bed.

HOLLY

Waking, my hand falls on warm fur:
a small rib cage rising, falling,
as breath goes on doing its work.

We are connected, she to me,
by synchronous breathing. By love,
on my part: on hers, obedience.

Now fifteen years, I hold her close,
gently as when she was a pup,
skin-and-bones, promising nothing.

A good dog, demanding only
a clean, warm bed, small kindnesses.
Fortune, grant her sleep, untroubled.

During Dog Days week I'll be donating 10% of online book sales to Guernsey's local animal support organisation, the GSPCA

CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK    CLICK HERE FOR GSPCA