Dog day birthday

And so, as dog days end

I came to be

Born in waning summer

And days of dying bees

A vapid arid desert

Where no-one can be seen

When itinerant tourists

Linger like lost leaves

The diaries are blank

Friends have gone away

Cities hold their breath

The crowds have had their day

A cause for celebration

Is always out of reach

Now I know that dog days end
At end of summer's lease

Suki

Soft black curtains

of velvety fur

Ears made of satin

Remind me of her

Tired of the stroking

And tickly touch

She’d toss her head sideways

To stop all the fuss

Her head was quite flat

As in Labrador breeds

But her build was too squat

For a real pedigree

Her eyes were so feeling

Brown pools of truth

Her paw would come nagging

For treats or a walk

Sometimes I see her

Again in my dreams

Old but still living

To guide me it seems

My heart melts once more

To see her again

To play and to cuddle

My dog-gone dead friend