I Wanted a Dog Part Four

 The following is part of an original poem I wrote.

I had never lost a pet before,

And when this happens,

Anyone who has the first loss of a pet,

Knows how I felt.

The devastation had he was gone.

No more googly eyes,

No more slobbering,

No more cuddling,

No one to watch cartoons with.

It would never happen again.

And of course we hear the awful attempts at comfort.

“It was only a dog.”

Well, I have a major counter:

If your kid died,

Would you like it,

If someone said,

“It was only a child.”

Because that’s what a dog is:

Family.

You can’t replace that.

And I wanted what any dog lover wants:

A new dog.

Sure I could never replace my old dog.

You can’t expect that.

There is no replacing any living being.

To expect the same this,

Is just not going to happen.

Even an exact lookalike,

Would never be the same.

No two creatures are alike.

Still, I wanted a new dog.

A new love, a new friend, a new companion.

And time went on, and I wanted a dog.

It was just never convenient for the family.

Still, I wanted a dog.

And I wanted a dog.

And I wanted a dog.

And I got a lizard…

I Wanted a Dog Part Three

  The following is part of an original poem I wrote.

And he loved cartoons.

He knew when they were on.

He barked me awake,

Then we cuddled on the couch and watched them.

He was a doggie alarm clock.

He had to watch his cartoons, crazy as that sounds.

He often watched more of them than I did.

He did have gas problems.

We suffered,

He thought it was wonderful.

And he had a girlfriend,

The big dog across the street.

It was true love.

They would have gotten married if dogs could legally.

The two of them have lots of time together,

When I was in a bad place,

When I was away for a while.

And then there was the seating arrangement.

He’d sit on the couch with me.

I know many dog owners won’t,

But I needed the snuggles.

He would occasionally hop on without me,

Or else try to push me off the couch.

And he was fast.

Let go of that leash,

And he’d be off at a run,

Not responding to me.

All the running he did,

 It was amazing he was never hit by a car.

He was also a coward.

Thunderstorms scared him.

Loud noises scared him,

But who actually likes sudden,

Unexpected loud noises.

My elevated voice scared him.

Most of all,

My cat scared him,

But if you met her,

You’d know why.

And then it happened.

It was all great.

Until it wasn’t.

I Wanted a Dog Part Two

 The following is part of an original poem I wrote. 

As laughs, I made up songs about him.

Sure they were stupid.

Sure performing them in school made me look like an ass.

But I made them up because I loved him.

And I made up the nickname “Booby Dog.”

I honestly have no idea where it came from.

I guess it was like nicknames couples make.

A sign of affection.

And I loved the booby dog.

I went through very hard times and low points.

But I knew that when I got home, he’d be there.

To hug, to kiss, to hold, to pet; he was there.

And we all need that.

A port in the storm. A rock to hold on to, as the waves came crashing.

A sign that at least someone loved me.

And the love of a dog means so much,

A love no human can match.

I’d get off that school bus and I would hear the barking.

His human was home.

No matter how bad the day, I heard those barks.

And I knew I had someone to cuddle with,

Someone to talk to, who would listen to me.

Even if it was filled with googly eyes,

A vacant expression.

But he got me in a way no one had before.

Did he understand what I was saying?

Probably not, but at least he would listen.

And isn’t what we all want anyway?

Someone to talk to, no judgement.

Because judging is something dogs don’t do.

They don’t think you’re stupid or crazy.

You treat them good they’ll treat you good in return.

Now, a bipolar guy like me needs lots of love.

And my dog was in no short supply of love.

Since the moment we met,

The “Mommy, I’ll take good care of him,”

It was true love.

And thinking back,

I didn’t pick him, he picked me.

And I lucked out to have had him.

And my dog danced.

Not just the trot-trot a dog does when their paws are up.

No, my dog did the hula.

And he danced the chicken dance.

Yes, it seems an odd image, but he did it.

I Wanted a Dog Part One

 The following is part of an original poem I wrote.

I had a dog for fifteen years.

He was my bestest buddy in the whole wide world.

We did just about everything together.

When he was a puppy we went of adventures.

We’d walk for miles and for hours.

We’d go uphill, we’d go downhill.

We’d go walking for three hours, sometime four.

His ears would flap in the breeze as he trotted up the street.

Everyone would look at his pathetic face and melt.

For he just looked so ugly he was cute.

He had a prominent under bite.

He had googly eyes.

He was ugly, but the ugly was cute.

He was very friendly.

He loved just about anyone he met.

He loved belly rubs.

If he thought you’d give him one,

He’d flop on his side,

It belly rob position.

He was fun to pet.

He loved it.

He loved to snuggle.

Such great comfort.

Just a warm body.

It felt comforting and reassuring.

Sure his fur was wiry,

But still it felt good.

And his tongue was useful.

He loved to eat.

He was my living dishwasher.

Give him a messy plate,

Come back a minute later,

Nothing would be on that plate.

It made washing dishes very easy.

And he made lots of doggie licks.

Sure it was slimy,

But his saliva was magic.

I know this sounds crazy,

But he cured my acne,

And he healed wounds better than Neosporin.

You’d have had to be licked by him to get that.

And oddly enough,

He loved vegetables.

Give him a plate with veggies,

They’d be gone in twenty seconds.

He even are the Chinese vegetables,

The ones they give in the plates,

When you ordered Chinese food,

                                                                   The ones no one eats.