In times too dark to contemplate
My very soul was slashed
By things all vile and cruel and vast
That left me gored and gashed.

It's said that time will heal all wounds,
But I've seen different ways,
That healing leaves its toughened scars,
And guarded defense pays.

So slow to trust, so scarred and worn,
Yet there are those who may
slip in within my armored heart
and not be turned away.

The soft of fur, the sparkling eyes
That glow with love unearned,
The silky ears that listen for
the verbal love returned...

The eager face, the waggly tail
express the purest thought
Without condition or restraint,
A love that can't be bought.

Not bought nor begged, but given, free,
And yet worth more than gold
The love a dog will give away
While keeping gentle hold.

He wraps it like a tangled leash
Around your mind and heart
And tugs it tight to keep you safe
When near or far apart.

He gives his true, unblemished love,
His life, his heart, his whole,
In selfless adoration
of the one who shares his soul.

But, here, too, pain and loss dwell
For the little ones slip 'way,
When their dear but fragile bodies
Will not allow their stay.

Though their days are not so lengthy,
And they leave us fiercely quick,
Still they leave the tender mem'ries
Of the look, the touch, the lick,
And we carry them within us,
Even when the banshee sounds
And they guard us with the strength
Of a love that knows no bounds.

In a softer, quiet moment,
Think of him, remember when
you walked the rocky roads together,
And always hold the love within.