Amelie

That sunny mountain afternoon

As you sped toward me, one ear up

The other hanging down

Tongue dragging the ground

Insinuating yourself into my lap

Your eyes searched deep into mine

You were the only one to see my truth

So completely, that of course I fell in love

It was an impossible connection

Your home was not with me

But I hoped with all my heart

You’d be mine one day

The look of fear in your face

When you realized once again

Your last human had returned you

Because of imagined defects

Kneeling to quiet your trembling

I promised “This is the last time”

Somehow you knew it was true

And off you ran to my front door

But you had not chosen me

I needed to know what you wanted

Later we visited your last human

And you ran to her with glee

I gulped with terror

What if you preferred her to me?

Then, while conversing with her

I felt your back press into my shin

As you looked up with those eyes

To say “I’m yours and you are mine”

There is nothing in this world

As sacred as being chosen by a dog

You and I have traveled

By car and various RVs

From Lake Tahoe to Portland

From San Francisco to Death Valley

We’ve hiked the Sierras

And portions of the Pacific Crest Trail

Steep jutting rocks overlooking

Pine forests and alpine lakes

We have been each other’s shadow

Facing life’s pleasures and challenges

Even the death of a family member

When you licked a tear from my cheek

Fourteen years gone in an instant

There will be no more hikes

No more adventures to new vistas

We are at the end of the trail

Eyesight failing

Hearing disappearing

Legs losing ground

Sleep is your friend now

How will I say goodbye?

Who will lick my tears this time?