Our Dog Copper

Living up to your name,
Even to the end.
Sun reflecting off you like a shiny penny,
As you sought out your special places.

Restless though resilient,
As nature took it's coarse.
Looking for a place to die,
Still living for your joys.

Did you recall those happy times.
Those days of new smells,
And even newer tastes,
However good or bad.

New energy when "your girl" arrived,
To say her last goodbye.
Only to return to face your fate alone,
As the final journey began.

We were there,
At the dark end of your frightened look.
At the final gasp towards release.
At the very end.

The end that was eternal.
The final breath that seemed not final,
Until it became a sepulchral gurgle,
And your lungs could do no more.

With my hand on your still warm chest,
And with tears in my eyes,
You lay as if asleep,
And you became so beautiful to me.

Suddenly it became so clear.
You lived your life in purity.
Purity of fear and desire.
Purity of the moment.

All you ever asked for was,
A life of love.
A life filled with sustenance.
A life free from storms.

Let me leave this world as you did.
Let me keep my patina.
Let me shine as a copper penny.
Thank you for showing me all that is true.