Timothy,
the lumbering dumb puppy,
paws to big for his legs,
ears to long for his head,
followed innocently after
Big Red, the setter,
chasing cars, trucks, tractors,
with puppies daring,
but no skill.
The lumbering dumb puppy
had no idea what would happen
if
so, when it did,
it was quick.
We dragged the broken body
off the road, leaving it
in the pick up
until morning.

There, three year old
Maribeth
saw him and
knew something was
all wrong
When we covered the
stiff body,
Maribeth,
tears in her eyes,
cried,
“Don’t you do that!
Don’t you do that!”
I wanted to echo that cry
to the rest of the world.

Don’t you do that!
Don’t you do that!