Dogs.

Into the coffee bar we walk

And there they are waiting,

They rush towards me

And will not let me pass

Until each has had a treat,

A treat from my pocket.

These two retrievers

Every time they are there

They come to us,

As if they are ours.

 

Being with these dogs takes me back,

Back to my childhood

When we had dogs.

There was Prince, the Boxer,

He would race around the garden

In his mad five minutes,

One day he came racing at me

And didn’t stop in time,

His chin hit my knee.

The only time he hurt me,

But it was an accident.

 

Our family used to take him up ‘The Ground’.

My brother and I climbed trees,

Played games and Prince played as well.

We finished, locked the gate,

Ready to go home.

Prince went straight to the bus stop,

He was not walking home.

 

Then there was Shane, the Red Setter,

A beautiful dog we had for many years,

He was still there when I left home.

He eventually passed to that kennel in the sky,

But the words I remember were from my Mum.

She said one day:

“The rhubarb in the garden

Has not tasted so good since Shane has gone!”

 

Such good days I had in my youth,

When dogs were always with me.