Butch

I look at him and he looks at me
He knows that I know that he knows
Clouded eyes fail to mask his determination
His back legs nearly useless he now battles incontinence
Yet pride, dignity and shame coalesce upon him
We have braved wind, rain, fog, cold and stifling summer heat
I, sometimes speaking; him, listening when he feels it necessary
He loved water and chasing the uncatchable
Now, as always, he remains silent and I ponder what he’s thinking
Perhaps, in another life, I shall be at his feet
But his is the heart of a lion and mine that only of a man
Has man ever had as loyal a friend as a dog?
Has a dog ever brought such sorrow to a man?
I wonder if he knows that…I suspect he does
So we shall grieve together, on Yesterday’s trails