The bearded human fears to see me grow.
He thinks I’ll dump his canoe.
6.
I cock my head and strain to grasp their meaning.
Alas! they don’t speak dog.
7.
The trainer with the squirt bottle is to be feared.
She understands me.
8.
The little human with striped socks is a push-over.
She gives biscuits.
9.
The human keeps telling me to sit.
Let her sit! I have things to do.
You watch me at my computer
Black eyes full of wisdom
And I so hope you don’t know
What is happening to you
We have our special time at night
Where we lay head to head
Whispering secrets
Known only by
You and I
We walk on the beach in the rain
Everyone else is getting wet, leaving
But there is still fun to be had
Even in the rain
We know this
You and I
Eleven years
We live quietly
Our love known and felt every moment
Even when you are playing hard to get
We both know we need each other
You and I
There are things to do
I have to go to work
You want to go for car rides to the park
But we are happiest at home being quiet with each other
Silently agreeing that home really means
You and I
You don’t always snuggle, you don’t always give kisses
You wear your dignity like a comfortable robe
You are the “serious one”
But we know, at night, during our time
That we can be vulnerable
We can be silly
You and I
Your quirks, your little jokes
You do things that make me laugh
You pretend to be fresh
But we know it’s for fun
It makes us one
You and I
Heaven is the top of your head
The way it smells, so clean, like a baby
And the way it fuzzes up when I rub it
Your breathing slows and grows content when I stroke it
It’s when we are happiest
You and I
I see you now
Watching me, loving me, trusting me to protect you
And my heart aches
Knowing what is to come
It’s the only thing I can’t share with you
You can never know
Any of this heartbreak
And I must keep it away from you
I fear that you know it anyway
That you see my heart
Sense my sadness
As you always have
There have never been secrets
Between you and I
How will I bear it when you are gone.
My princess, my heart, my soul
When there is no you
Only I
by Chloe Houghton as intuited / transcribed by Beverly Houghton
1.
I feel my strong white grown-up teeth.
I snap twigs in two.
I’m called “mouthy”.
2.
That first night the human held me in her lap.
By now I am too big.
3.
I pulled the branch, but the hillside came too.
I didn’t know they were attached.
4.
My coat’s too wavy for my breed.
They all want to know my lineage.