Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray dear Lord our house to keep
My Daddy looked for work all day
The tow truck took our car away
and Mommy cried in front of us
She said we’ll have to take the bus
Dad came home; he looks so mad
When Mommy cries, it makes him sad
All I can do is sit and pray
that they’ll not take my dog away
He makes me laugh; he’s lots of fun
I play with him, we skip and run
He’s my best friend, and I am his
We made a pact, and here it is:
Where ever you go, there I will be
Cause you’re my dog, and you love me
So help us Lord to stay together
On sunny days and windy weather
He’s more than dog, he’s more than friend
He’s my brother lord, and his name is Ben
Today as I dropped off another van-load of rescued golden retrievers at the Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Sanctuary, I saw a family in tears. Mother, Father, daughter and son. I didn’t need to ask – I knew why they were there. It happens all too often. Job goes, house goes, family goes, and no place left for the dog. At least this family did the right thing. They brought their beloved pet to a shelter where it will be well taken care of and a new family will be found. When I found this old photograph of my friend’s son and his dog, it made me think of that boy today, red-eyed and crushed, and I wrote the poem for all those kids out there, and all their much-loved pets.
This piece was submitted for Imperfect Prose
Feel free to visit their link:
http://canvaschild.blogspot.com/2010/10/imperfect-prose-on-thursdays-poverty.html
Brokenpenwriter's Blog 
Beautiful poem…and completely heartbreaking. I’m glad that family did the right thing for their beloved dog, but I can only imagine how painful that was for them all.
Thanks, Talon. It only just hit me – that family gave up their dog on 9-11. Another reason not to forget the courage it takes to give up our lives or those of the pets we love, in order to ensure others live. For that boy, giving up his dog was a tragedy – perhaps the first time he experienced grief. And yes, he did do the right thing.
Good poem. I like the humour, pathos and humanity you display in this and the other work you have posted.
Thank you Paul. Your kind comment is very much appreciated.
beautiful poem,
the image is super cute…
love dogs, they are the best friends of human beings…
Thanks for joining in!
🙂
Thanks Jingle. I agree about dogs – we are so blessed to have them
True indeed, and wonderful poem!=D
And this is something I always tell myself, if you wanna have a pet, be responsible for it, if not don’t ever think of having one, but if you do have one, take care of it :D, and you can no longer have him by you side, send it to someone who can take good care of him =P
Pets are like human, they all need love and care:)~
Thank you for sharing in Poetry Potluck, have a great week!<3
Thank you for your kind comments and even more, for your care for animals
That’s so sad… a breaking family is one of worst that one can see/face/experience!
Losing a dog in that matter must really be horrid! So helpless sorta…
A lovely poem expressing that sentiment, Cindy..
Thanks Kavita. I can still see that boy’s face. I’m such a sop when it comes to children and animals. Wish I could cure all their ills. Just can’t do it. Darn. I’m only human. Darn. Wish I were God sometimes…
OMW…I cried reading this Cindy, on even more so when I read this happend on 9-11!! I cannot imagine my life without my dog, reading this made me realize just how fortunate and blessed I am, my heart goes out to those families and children in that position. Thanks from my heart for joining Potluck, it is such an honor to have you there!! You know that you are loved and treasured my friend xxxx
Thank you so much, Amanda. I’m excited to join potluck and be amongst so many outstanding people and gifted, enthusiastic writers.
This is utterly tragic and a perfect representation of what is happening all over the US right now. Great write. Love and Light, Sender
So true. Thank you for your kind words.
Oh, this made me sad and opened my eyes, just a bit. No, more than a bit.
Every experience, a poem.
Eyeopening is good, and often the truth hurts. We as poets need to keep our eyes and ears and all senses open, for we can turn these into words, and words can heal or make things begin to change.
What sorrow and truth! A boy and his dog should be allowed to stay together as long as they can. (That picture is priceless)
Thanks for passing this dish for the potluck!
Thanks, Eric. You’re so right about the boy and his dog. Glad you enjoyed the photo too
Terribly, terribly sad …there is so much pain out there right now…i can not even imagine how bad it was during the depression….thank you for sharing….it makes me grateful….bkm
Thank you for your heartfelt comments.
I love the photo and the poem pulled at my heart strings. Lovely job.
Thanks, Shewrite.
Such a sad poem. You really do an excellent job of showing how important our animal friends are to us. Nicely done.
Mine is here. http://razzamadazzle.wordpress.com
Thanks, Teresa, both for the kind comment and the easy link to your lovely site.
this piece made me cry. i have a pet dog named heaven (because that was how i felt when i first set eyes on him) and 3 lovely kids. i can’t imagine a household without all of them.
What a wonderful way to name your dog – If I did the same, I’d have to name mine Grateful, because that’s how she makes me feel every day. Thank you so much for your lovely comment. Sorry about the tears!
tis is sweet- brings us all down to reality..
Thanks, Fiveloaf.
This brought tears to my eyes. Such a beautiful photo and an amazing poem which expresses the way a child looks at life through the hard times. I think of my little dog as my daughter so I can definately relate to this – they could take my house and everything in it, but they couldn’t have her xx
You’ve got one lucky dog. 🙂
Oh that was so good. You captured the perspective of a child in an incredible manner. I just found out about a competition that you should definitely consider. It needs to be original, not yet posted or published and twenty lines long. I am sure you could come up with a follow up to this great poem as an entry.
http://oneshotpoetry.blogspot.com/2010/09/one-stop-poetry-competition-fall-2010.html
I may just enter as well.
Thanks, Joyce! I loved your latest recipe and story. I look forward to trying it out soon.
simple tale, sadly and plainly told, the whole feel of the confidentiality and openness of the prayer of a child’s heart.
and with the lack of mawkishness or sugar coated fake sentimentality often associated with this type of piece you have made this as real a depiction of what goes on in the poor kids heart as i could hope for.
truly affecting
Wow, when I wrote the poem, I had tears in my eyes, and when I read it to my sweetheart, he got tears in his eyes; now as I read your kind comments, tears visit my eyes again. How lovely a thing is writing, making eyes shine.
Thank you.