Toby Girl

She came to me in a rush

Of circumstance

“Thanks Aunt Dee” my nephew said..

“It will just be for a little while.”

I knew she was special.

She licked my nose with long slurps

She pranced like a doe and ran like the wind.

Chasing a ball, her feet only skimmed the earth.

Her eyes would see right through me

And tell me stories we both knew

funny, and sad.

Together we laughed at the scardy-kat squirrels

that ran up the tree trunks when we walked by.

At night she'd curl up in my lap

All 55 pounds of her.

A dangling leg would always escape

hanging to the floor – a kite tail.

She would stare at me for long long minutes –

and I would scratch her bony head.

And that tail that tail

whap whap whap

happy whaps that knocked over everything on the table

and left red marks on my leg, that tail.

We sailed on the Sound, chased branches in the Hudson.

We had the time of our lives, my beautiful, forever friend.

Run like the wind in doggie heaven

I'll watch you and we'll smile together.