So this is how it ends, my Friend....

So this is how it ends,
My Friend...
Days filled with guilt
Wrenching Sobs
Stinging Eyes...



This isn't what I expected
on that day almost
Twelve years ago

You were the wild one
The yapping one
The ornery one
So of course
My little boy
Anxious for a puppy
Chose you

You made him cry
on the way
home that day.
Trying to escape the confines
of your cardboard box
You clawed
You scratched
You howled
You made your presence known

You fell asleep in my lap
in the recliner
And I soon followed
you into dreams.
I awoke to find you on my chest
Asleep and snoring away.
Your little head tucked in
against my neck.

You barked and pulled at
my pant legs.
Every time I got on the
computer to write.
I wrote a lot in those days.
I'd say to you
"NO LUKE NO"
And that became one of your many
many nicknames.

Luke
Lucas
Luker
Lukie-Boy
Big Guy
Big Boy
Big Hairy Boy
The Fur Covered Freight train...(SIMILE!)
But you were always my boy
No matter what I called you

We played ball in the backyard
You and me
You and Dustin
And later,
You and Jared
We were friends,
We were Family
You were my fur-covered Son.

You ate everything.
The Trash.
The Lattice on the Deck.
You even ate all the outdoor lighting
For Pete's Sake!
Bulbs, Wires and All.
I called the Vet.
He said to watch your poop.
Oh, that was fun!
Two days later whole light bulbs appeared.
Ta-da! We said. Luke The Magnificent!
(Thank goodness that nickname never took off!)

It was joy and happiness
for many years with you
Till the sickness hit
And old age set in
You still looked and acted like a pup
sometimes.
But the white hairs began to appear
around your eyes.
It took longer for you to stand and to sit.
You became scared of storms and
sometimes even the dark.

You clawed
You scratched
You barked
You made your pain and suffering known

Tonight you're laying down behind my chair.
I'm on the computer.
I'm writing again.
I think of you dying tomorrow,
and I say to you "NO LUKE NO."