Summer

On the summer solstice, when we first met,

I followed my heart’s song to a love so pure

Puppies scrambled to my right and my left

She sat still in the middle of the pack, secure.

That one’s mine, I decided with swift reason

In need of a name, I considered the date

Summer, the first day of my favorite season

Thus began a love affair, our inescapable fate.

She was small, white, and wiry, eyes shining black

Protective to a fault, she loved me like no other

Alone amidst sorrow, she put me back on track

I learned how to take care and love as a mother.

We had sixteen summers before saying goodbye,

Now every first day of summer, I remember and cry.