The Little Old Man
The little old man Stood his ground Proudly despite outliving several other humans Not loved enough until he met Charlene And was fed Biscotti and allowed To lick the bowl after rice pudding And sleep in her bed On Monday nights when I visited I took him for walks he trotted, happy to be outside Peed, but then came in and peed again On Charlene’s garbage can His worried, opaque eyes followed her Into the bathroom and then While she lay dying He slept by her side, not wanting to leave her Char wanted us to euthanize him so they Would not be separated in death But he had more life to live Even though he had no teeth and he was worn Like the velveteen rabbit His worried eyes at her funeral seemed to beg me For one last chance And I took him home Where he loved Toby and romped like a lamb In the backyard Until he deemed it was his time I never got him a name tag Thinking that he would never go far without me Now I know he was never mine He was just a guest, just passing through On