If Dogs save no

            Yesterdays

               and

             expect no

            Tomorrows,

then you were so wise to fill every

              Today

      with pats on the head,

    a caress of that soft fur,

   chasing behind the children,

              close

       but not too close,

        soft, puppy Hugs,

watching  "Bird TV" in the

     warm light of afternoon,

          long puppy naps

      on the cool, tiled floors

        of our African home

           that was your

             Home too.

           You who had

  the silent grace to choose us

    from that Cotonou corner,

       had, too, the grace

to know when it was time for our two paths to

              diverge.

      But I whose days are all

      Yesterdays and Tomorrows

     still look for you on that

          empty pillow,

      wait for your soft paws,

  tangled in the mosquito netting,

           the fuzzy

             Thump

    of your chin on my knee,

       wondering if now

  we'll go for just one more

             Walk.

Rest in peace, Piñuela the Pup.